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Andrew Lester, the 86-year-old Kansas City man charged with shooting Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who mistakenly went to the wrong house, has been deemed mentally fit to stand trial.
On Tuesday (November 26), a judge ruled that Lester's trial would continue on schedule for February 2025 after reviewing findings from his mental exam, according to ABC News. The exam was ordered last month after Lester's attorney, Steve Salmon, argued that his mental and physical conditions had diminished.
The trial stems from the shooting of Yarl in April 2023. Yarl mistakenly went to the wrong address to pick up his siblings when he was shot twice by Lester. The homeowner told police that he shot Yarl because he thought the teen was trying to break into his home and he was “scared to death." Yarl said he waited for an extended period of time after ringing the doorbell of the home. Lester eventually opened his door and showed his gun, saying "Don't come here ever again," according to Yarl.
The teen testified that he took his hand off an exterior glass storm door before being shot in the head. Yarl said he fell to the ground and was shot again in the arm.
According to a lawsuit filed by the family against Lester and his homeowner's association, Yarl “suffered and sustained permanent injuries, endured pain and suffering of a temporary and permanent nature, experienced disability and losses of normal life activities, was obligated to spend large sums of money for medical and attention and suffered other losses and damages.”
Lester pleaded not guilty to charges of assault in the first degree and armed criminal action in connection to Yarl's shooting. His trial was initially set for October 7, but a Clay County judge rescheduled the proceedings to February last month amid Lester's mental evaluation.
In his motion requesting the mental exam, Salmon claimed Lester's health conditions could impair his ability to participate in the trial. Salmon said Lester "lost more than 50 pounds, experienced issues with his memory, and has exhibited confusion surrounding the details of the case," ABC News reports. Lester also "suffered a broken hip, heart issues, and hospitalization since the case began," according to his lawyer, per the outlet.
Salmon further claimed that Lester was facing "stress" due to "overwhelming media attention, as well as death threats and other unwanted attention, making it difficult for him to interact socially with anyone."
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