Alabama House committee approves bill named for Aniah Blanchard

(This story originally published at the Montgomery Advertiser, part of the USA TODAY Network.)

The House Judiciary Committee has approved a bill named for Aniah Blanchard, the stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight Walt Harris, who was killed after being kidnapped from a convenience store in October.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Chip Brown, R-Mobile, would allow judges to hold individuals accused of committing violent Class A felonies without bail. Currently, bond can only be denied in cases of capital murder.

At the time of Blanchard’s disappearance, Ibraheem Yazeed, who is accused of killing Blanchard, was free on $295,000 bond on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, robbery, and possession of marijuana in connection with an attack on two men in a Montgomery hotel in January 2019.

Blanchard’s mother, father, and stepmother attended the hearing and spoke briefly before the committee voted on the measure.

“It would bring so much relief, and other parents would not have to go through the tragedy I suffered with my baby girl,” Elijah Blanchard, Aniah Blanchard’s father, told the committee.

Angela Harris, Blanchard’s mother, said “we can save a lot of lives” with this law in place.

“Repeat violent offenders are going to do it again,” she said.

Blanchard, 19, was last seen at a convenience store in Auburn on Oct. 23. Her car was found in Montgomery a few days later. Blanchard’s body was found in Macon County in November.

The bill is a constitutional amendment. If it passes the Legislature, the measure would go to voters for approval, possibly in November.

If enacted, prosecutors would be able to request evidentiary hearings to deny bail for those accused of Class A felonies “if no conditions of release can reasonably protect the community from risk of physical harm to the accused, the public, or both, ensure the presence of the accused at trial, or ensure the integrity of the judicial process.” The decision to grant or deny bail would be up to the judge.