Judge says Ralph Yarl shooting suspect is fit to stand trial after mental exam
Andrew Lester, the Kansas City man charged in the April 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl after the teenager mistakenly went to the wrong house, is fit to stand trial in February 2025, a judge said on Tuesday, according to Kansas City ABC affiliate KMBC.
The ruling came after the judge reviewed the findings of Lester’s mental exam, which he ordered last month after Lester’s attorney argued that the 86-year-old's mental and physical capacity have diminished.
ABC News reached out to Lester’s attorney Steven Salmon for comment.
In October, a Clay County judge rescheduled Lester's trial, which was initially set for Oct. 7, to begin on Feb. 18, 2025, pending the results of the mental evaluation. That exam was ordered by the judge after Salmon filed a motion requesting it, according to court documents obtained by ABC News.
In the motion, Salmon claimed that Lester is facing health conditions that could impair his ability to understand legal proceedings or assist in his defense at trial.
He said in the motion that Lester has lost more than 50 pounds, experienced issues with his memory and has exhibited confusion surrounding the details of the case. He also noted that Lester had also suffered a broken hip, heart issues and hospitalization since the case began.
Salmon also noted that Lester has faced "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."
Lester was charged with one count of felony assault in the first-degree and one count of armed criminal action, also a felony, in the shooting of Yarl, a Black teenager who mistakenly went to Lester's Kansas City home after arriving at the wrong address to pick up his twin brothers from a play date on April 13, 2023.
Lester, who is white, pleaded not guilty later that month and was released on a $200,000 bond.
Yarl, who was 16 at the time, was shot in the head and in the right arm, by Lester, according to police. The now 18-year-old suffered a traumatic brain injury, his family previously told ABC News.
According to a probable cause statement obtained by ABC News, Lester told police that he "believed someone was attempting to break into the house" and grabbed a gun before going to the door because he was scared.
Yarl opened up about the shooting in an exclusive interview with Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts in July 2023, where he reflected on his recovery and the harrowing experience.
"He points [the gun] at me … so I kinda, like, brace and I turn my head," Yarl told Roberts. "Then it happened. And then I'm on the ground ... and then I fall on the glass. The shattered glass. And then before I know it I'm running away shouting, 'Help me, help me.'"
