A judge has ordered a mental evaluation and has now delayed the trial indefinitely of an 85-year-old white man who shot Ralph Yarl, the teenage black honor student who accidentally rang the wrong doorbell of a Kansas City, Missouri, home by mistake.
Andrew Lester’s lawyer requested the evaluation last month, saying the retired aircraft mechanic’s health has deteriorated so much that he now lacks the capacity to understand the proceedings against him or to assist in his own defense. The prosecution did not object to the request.
The trial of Lester had been scheduled to begin next month on October 7. Instead, there will now be a hearing the following day.
Lester, who appeared in court on Monday, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the April 13, 2023, shooting of Yarl, who was 16 at the time.
A judge has ordered a mental evaluation and has now delayed the trial indefinitely of Andrew Lester 85-year-old white man who shot Ralph Yarl
Ralph Yarl, then 16, accidentally rang the wrong doorbell of a Kansas City, Missouri , home by mistake
The elderly man had already pleaded guilty to the charges and his attorney had argued that Lester acted in self-defense
Yarl survived the shooting and graduated from high school this spring, but his family said the shooting took a big emotional toll and has filed a lawsuit against Lester.
The shooting shocked the country and renewed national debates about gun policies and race in the U.S.
Attorney Steve Salmon has long argued that Lester was acting in self-defense, terrified by the stranger who knocked on his door as he settled into bed for the night.
Yarl showed up on Lester’s doorstep after he mixed up the streets where he was supposed to pick up his twin brothers from a play date.
Yarl testified at an earlier hearing that Lester shot him in the head and uttered, ‘Don´t come here ever again.’
Although the bullet didn’t penetrate Yarl’s brain, the impact knocked him to the ground. Yarl said Lester then shot him in the arm.
In the ensuing months, Lester has had heart issues, a broken hip and been in hospital several times.
Lester also has lost 50 pounds, which Salmon blames on the stress he has experienced because of intense scrutiny from the news media and death threats.
Ralph Yarl, now 17, was shot by Lester on April 13, 2023 after he went to the wrong address while going to collect his twin younger brothers from their friend’s house in Kansas City, Missouri (Pictured: Yarl in the hospital following the shooting)
Ralph Yarl, center, was said to have been trying to pick up his his twin younger brothers from a friend’s house but went to the wrong address
Salmon said Lester has memory issues relating to key facts about the case that formerly were not a problem.
He said Lester thinks every pretrial hearing is the actual trial, despite being told otherwise, and believes that coins he purchased from a TV ad are now worth about $20 million.
‘Over the course of this case, Counsel has noticed a significant decline in Defendant’s overall physical health, as well as his mental acuity,’ Salmon said in the motion on Monday.
‘The frailty of Defendant’s physical health has, in part, been because of a broken hip, heart issues and hospitalization he has suffered during the pendency of this matter,’ he added.
Salmon also noted how due to the ‘overwhelming media attention, as well as death threats and other unwanted attention’ it has made it ‘difficult for Lester to interact socially with anyone.’
