A judge has ordered a mental health evaluation and indefinitely postponed the trial of an 85-year-old white man who shot Ralph Yarl, the black teenage student who accidentally rang the wrong doorbell at a Kansas City, Missouri, home.
Andrew Lester’s lawyer requested the review last month, saying the retired aircraft mechanic’s health has deteriorated to the point where he is no longer able to understand the proceedings against him or to support his own defense. The prosecution did not object to the request.
Lester’s trial was scheduled to begin next month, on October 7. Instead, a hearing will now take place the following day.
Lester, who appeared in court Monday, pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in connection with the April 13, 2023, shooting death of Yarl, who was 16 at the time.
A judge has ordered a mental health evaluation and has now indefinitely postponed the trial of Andrew Lester, an 85-year-old white man who shot Ralph Yarl
Ralph Yarl, then 16, accidentally rang the wrong doorbell at a home in Kansas City, Missouri
The elderly man had already pleaded guilty to the charges and his attorney had argued that Lester had acted in self-defense
Yarl survived the shooting and graduated from high school this spring, but his family says the shooting took a huge emotional toll and has filed a lawsuit against Lester.
The shooting shocked the country and renewed national discussion about gun policy and race in the US.
Attorney Steve Salmon has long maintained that Lester acted in self-defense because he was terrified of the stranger knocking on his door as he went to bed.
Yarl stood at Lester’s door after he had 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 said, “Don’t ever come here again.”
Although the bullet did not enter Yarl’s brain, the impact knocked him to the ground. Yarl said Lester then shot him in the arm.
In the months that followed, Lester suffered from heart problems, a broken hip and was hospitalized several times.
Lester has also lost 50 pounds, which Salmon attributes to the stress he experiences from the intense media coverage and death threats.
Ralph Yarl, now 17, was shot by Lester on April 13, 2023, after going to the wrong address when he went to pick up his younger twin brothers from their friend’s house in Kansas City, Missouri (pictured: Yarl in the hospital after the shooting)
Ralph Yarl, center, is said to have wanted to pick up his twin brothers from a friend’s house but went to the wrong address
Salmon said Lester has memory problems regarding key facts about the case that were not a problem before.
He said Lester believes every preliminary hearing is the actual trial, despite being told otherwise, and he believes the coins he bought through a TV ad are now worth about $20 million.
“Over the course of this case, counsel has noted a significant decline in defendant’s overall physical health, as well as his mental acuity,” Salmon said in Monday’s motion.
“The suspect’s poor physical health is partly due to a broken hip, heart problems and the hospitalization he underwent during the handling of this case,” he added.
Salmon also noted that the “overwhelming media attention, as well as death threats and other unwanted attention” made it “difficult for Lester to interact with anyone socially.”