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An 86-year-old man from Missouri might be sentenced to up to seven years in prison after reaching a plea agreement related to the 2023 incident where he shot a black teenager who mistakenly rang his doorbell.
Andrew Lester admitted to second-degree assault last Friday concerning the shooting of Ralph Yarl when he was 16 in Kansas City. Yarl managed to survive despite being shot in the head and arm, as per reports.
Lester was set to go on trial next week for charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action, which carried a sentence of up to 30 years.
The Clay County Prosecuting Attorney, Zachary Thompson, stated that the resolution “ensures accountability for the defendant, brings closure to Mr. Yarl, and meets the requirement for a fair outcome in the case,” according to NBC News.
Yarl showed up on Lester’s porch after mixing up the streets while picking up his younger siblings from their friend’s house in April 2023.
The elderly white man, who was getting ready for bed that night, shot him in the head and said, “Don’t come here ever again,” Yarl testified.
Yarl was knocked to the ground and then Lester reportedly shot him in the arm.
The teen made a full recovery after suffering a traumatic brain injury and has since graduated high school.
He has been described as a “walking miracle with a head of steel.”
Lester is expected to be sentenced on March 7, according to reports.
“We remain hopeful that his sentencing will not be merely a slap on the wrist but a decision that upholds the seriousness of his crime,” Yarl’s family said in a statement to local media after Friday’s hearing.
“This case has never been just about Ralph — it is about every child’s right to exist without being seen as a threat,” they continued.
Lester was seen in the courtroom Friday hunched over and in a wheelchair.
His lawyer, Steve Salmon, maintained that Lester was scared and acting in self-defense.
He said the case has taken a toll on his client’s physical and mental health and that he has lost about 50 pounds as a result of intense media coverage and death threats related to the case.
A judge ordered Lester undergo a mental evaluation and delayed his trial in September. The results of the evaluation were not made public, but the trial was allowed to proceed.
With Post wires