It took more than six years, but justice has now been served. Former UFC fighter Walt Harris’ world turned upside down when his 19-year-old stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard, went missing in October 2019. Ibraheem Yazeed, who was out on bail at the time on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, and robbery related to an earlier incident, was arrested the following month in November in connection with her disappearance. However, at the time, Yazeed was only charged with first-degree kidnapping.

But after Blanchard’s remains were discovered in December and her death was confirmed to be a homicide, the assailant was formally charged with capital murder. In November 2022, a grand jury officially indicted him on three counts of capital murder. The state, as a result, sought the death penalty. According to the latest report, a jury in Alabama has found the 36-year-old guilty of murder and felony murder in the death of Harris’s stepdaughter. This, however, means Ibraheem Yazeed will avoid the death penalty.

The trial lasted six days and featured testimony and witness accounts called on by the prosecution. Both state and defense delivered closing arguments on Tuesday, and the jury deliberated on Wednesday. The guilty verdict was announced the following day at noon. Now, Yazeed’s final sentencing is scheduled for May 7, where he could face life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

“Today, a Macon County jury returned a murder verdict in the case of Aniah Blanchard,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office said. “Although we are disappointed that this outcome does not allow for the death penalty, we intend to seek the maximum sentence allowed by law when the defendant is sentenced on May 7th.

“I pledge to do everything in my power to ensure that Ibraheem Yazeed spends the rest of his life in prison. I believe that is what justice demands in this case. Aniah deserves it, as does her family.”

For Walt Harris, it’s been a harrowing few years since his stepdaughter went missing on October 23, 2019. Blanchard was last seen on surveillance footage at a local convenience store in Auburn, Alabama. The footage also showed Yazeed in the store at the same time. An eyewitness later confirmed seeing Yazeed forcing Blanchard into her car against her will.

Her car, a 2017 Honda CR-V, was found two days later in Montgomery, with a large amount of blood inside. This led investigators to believe she might not be alive. Their suspicion came to reality when her body was discovered a month later in a wooded area in Macon County, Alabama.

An autopsy confirmed she had died from a gunshot wound. During the trial, the prosecutors revealed that Blanchard had been shot in the passenger seat of her own car. According to them, Yazeed later carried her out to the wooded area in Macon County, where he shot her again in the head.

Because Yazeed had been out on bail at the time of Blanchard’s death, her case led Walt Harris and his wife Angela to heavily campaign for ‘Aniah’s Law’—a law which would allow judges to deny bond to defendants charged with violent crimes. Following the campaign, the Alabama legislature approved the bill in 2021. Alabama voters overwhelmingly passed it as a constitutional amendment in November 2022, paving the way for it to be a law.

Before Walt Harris made his comeback in 2020, he admitted that the death of his 19-year-old stepdaughter had fueled him.

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Ahead of his May 17, 2020, comeback to the UFC against Alistair Overeem, Harris made it clear that stepping into the Octagon against him after his personal tragedy would come with added danger. 

“She was probably my biggest fan,” the heavyweight star said. “I feel like I’m being powered by a whole different source now.

“It’s a different fire right now for me… I know I’m doing something for her,” Harris explained. “Anybody who gets in the cage with me at this point, it’s dangerous for that person… you’re not going to just be fighting me. You’re going to be fighting me and her.”

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For Harris, the fight carried a deeper meaning. However, when fight night finally came, he unfortunately lost via second-round knockout to Overeem. Despite fighting with a new, yet tragic purpose, the results in the Octagon didn’t follow. Harris suffered a three-fight losing streak, culminating in a June 2021 loss that marked his last appearance in the Octagon.

After a difficult three-fight skid, Walt Harris may finally find a sense of justice, as the man responsible for the death of his stepdaughter faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison. While the conviction cannot erase the tragedy, the prospect of a life sentence for his stepdaughter’s killer may finally offer Walt Harris and his family a measure of closure after a harrowing six-year ordeal.