A judge ruled Tuesday that the man who shot Ralph Yarl, a black teenager who accidentally rang the doorbell thinking it was someone else’s house, is fit to stand trial.
Defense teams for Andrew Lester, the 86-year-old who shot the teenager in April 2023, had argued that his client’s mental faculties have deteriorated to the point that he is no longer able to understand the proceedings against him.
At the request of his attorney Steve Salmon, the judge ordered a mental evaluation of Lester.
That evaluation came back Tuesday and based on the documents, the judge said Lester was mentally healthy enough to stand trial in February 2025.
Lester’s trial was scheduled to begin on October 7, before his attorney filed a request for a mental health evaluation.
That motion also detailed Lester’s many health problems since the shooting, including heart problems, a broken hip and several trips to the hospital.
Salmon also claimed that Lester had lost 50 pounds, which he attributed to the stress he experienced due to intense news media scrutiny and death threats.
The attorney also said Lester has memory problems regarding important facts about the case that were not previously a problem.
A judge said Andrew Lester, pictured in court pleading not guilty to the charges against him, is fit to stand trial for the April 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl
Ralph Yarl, then 16, accidentally rang the doorbell at Lester’s house in Kansas City, Missouri, thinking it was someone else’s house
He said Lester thinks every pretrial hearing is the actual trial, despite being told otherwise, and that the coins he bought through a TV ad are now worth about $20 million.
Lester appeared in court last month and pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in connection with the shooting of Yarl, who was a 16-year-old honor student at the time.
Lester shot him in the head and right arm outside his home in Kansas City, Missouri, according to police.
Incredibly, Yarl survived the shooting and graduated from high school this spring, but his family said the shooting took a great emotional toll and has filed a lawsuit against Lester.
The shooting shocked the country and renewed national debates over gun policy and race in the US.
Salmon has long argued that Lester acted 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 crossing the streets to pick up his twin brothers from a play date.
The teen testified at an earlier hearing that Lester shot him in the head and said, “Don’t ever come here again.”
Yarl, now 18, made a full physical recovery from the shooting but reported having brain fog and headaches (photo: Yarl in the hospital after the shooting)
Yarl, center, allegedly tried to pick up his younger twin brothers from a friend’s house but went to the wrong address
Although the bullet did not penetrate Yarl’s brain, the impact knocked him to the ground. Yarl said Lester then shot him in the arm.
Yarl, who is now 18, told Good Morning America last year that even though he has fully recovered physically, he still suffers from mental tension.
He said: ‘There are a lot of things happening in my head that are not normal.
“I have headaches, trouble sleeping, and sometimes my mind is just foggy. I can’t concentrate on things that are easy to do.
‘I’m just a kid. I’m going to keep doing all the things that make me happy and just live my life the best I can and not let it bother me.
“Justice is the rule, the law, regardless of race, ethnicity and age. He should be convicted for the crimes he committed. I no longer have any personal hatred for him.
“He should suffer the consequences because that is what our society is made of: trust in each other and the reassurance that we can coexist in harmony.”