A 86-year old Kansas City man has pleaded guilty to a lesser offense in the shooting of Ralph Yarl a Black honors student who accidentally rang his doorbell.
Andrew Lester (White) was due to go on trial next week for charges of first degree assault and armed criminal activity in the shooting at the age of 16 of a boy who has since graduated high school.
Lester entered a guilty plea to assault in the second degree as part of a deal. Lester will be sentenced March 7. He was hunched as he entered the courtroom with his hands folded.
First-degree Assault is punishable by 15-30 years of imprisonment, depending on circumstances. The defendants must prove that they were motivated by a sudden and justified passion.
J.R. Hobbs is a Kansas City attorney and defense lawyer who is not directly involved in the case. He said that the motive for the shooting was probably the passion of the moment. If he was scared or anything else, that may not be a good enough defense. Parties may agree because, on the one hand, a felony conviction is a non-trial, and there’s no appeal. The defendant is also less exposed with a lower statutory limit.
Yarl appeared on Lester’s doorstep the night of the 13th April 2023 after he mistook the streets to which he was supposed pick up his twin sisters.
Steve Salmon, Lester’s lawyer, has long maintained that Lester was in self-defense, and that the stranger knocking on his door while he was settling into bed was a terrifying experience. Authorities claim Lester shot Yarl in both the head and arm.
The shooting has shocked the nation, and reignited the debate on gun lawsand race issues in the U.S.
Yarl said in testimony at a previous hearing that he had rung the bell, and then waited “for a longer period than normal” for someone to answer. Yarl testified that he grabbed the storm door as the inner door opened.
He said, “I presume these are the parents of my brothers’ friends.”
Lester had shot him in his head, he said. “Don’t ever come back here again.” The bullet did not penetrate Yarl’s brain but the impact knocked Yarl to the ground. Yarl claimed Lester shot him in his arm. The teen was transported to hospital and released 3 days later.
The family of the deceased aircraft mechanic has filed a suit against him, claiming that the shooting caused them great emotional distress.
Salmon stated last year that Lester’s mental and physical condition had deteriorated. He stated that Lester had heart problems, a fractured hip, and was hospitalized. Lester has also lost 50 pounds (23 kg), which Salmon attributed to the stress caused by intense media coverage, and death threats that he received.
The judge ordered Lester to undergo a psychological evaluation, but permitted the trial to continue after it was completed. The results of this evaluation were not made public.
