Current:Home > FinanceJudge orders psychological evaluation for white homeowner who shot Ralph Yarl-LoTradeCoin
Judge orders psychological evaluation for white homeowner who shot Ralph Yarl
View Date:2024-12-23 20:42:53
A judge has ordered a mental evaluation and delayed the trial of an 85-year-old white man who shot Ralph Yarl after the teenage Black honor student came to his Kansas City, Missouri, home by mistake.
Andrew Lester’s lawyer requested the evaluation last month, saying the retired aircraft mechanic’s health has deteriorated so much that he now lacks the capacity to understand the proceedings against him or to assist in his own defense. The prosecution didn’t object to the request.
The trial of Lester had been scheduled to begin Oct. 7. Instead, there will be a hearing the following day.
Lester has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the April 13, 2023, shooting of Yarl, then 16. Yarl survived the shooting and graduated from high school in the spring. But his family said the shooting took a big emotional toll and has filed a lawsuit against Lester.
The shooting shocked the country and renewed national debates about gun policies and race in the U.S.
Attorney Steve Salmon has long argued that Lester was acting 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 he mixed up the streets where he was supposed to pick up his twin siblings. Yarl testified at an earlier hearing that Lester shot him in the head and uttered, “Don’t come here ever again.” Although the bullet didn’t penetrate Yarl’s brain, the impact knocked him to the ground. Yarl said Lester then shot him in the arm.
In the ensuing months, Lester has had heart issues, a broken hip and hospitalizations, Salmon said. Lester also has lost 50 pounds (23 kilograms), which Salmon blames on the stress he has experienced because of intense scrutiny from the news media and death threats.
veryGood! (96)
Related
- Mean Girls’ Lacey Chabert Details “Full Circle” Reunion With Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Seyfried
- Former U.S. Rep. Tommy Robinson, who gained notoriety as an Arkansas sheriff, dies at 82
- Prince Harry honored with Pat Tillman Award for Service at The ESPYS
- One Tech Tip: What to do if your personal info has been exposed in a data breach
- Inter Miami's MLS playoff failure sets stage for Messi's last act, Alexi Lalas says
- Jürgen Klopp not interested in USMNT job. What now? TV analysts weigh in
- The Esports World Cup, with millions at stake, is underway: Schedule, how to watch
- 1-year-old found alive in Louisiana ditch a day after 4-year-old brother was found dead
- Stressing over Election Day? Try these apps and tools to calm your nerves
- Texas power outage map: Over a million without power days after Beryl
Ranking
- West Virginia governor-elect Morrisey to be sworn in mid-January
- How long should I walk my dog? And how often? Tips to keep your pup healthy.
- 2 buses carrying at least 60 people swept into a river by a landslide in Nepal. 3 survivors found
- Mississippi election officials argue against quick work on drawing new majority-Black districts
- Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Lemon quit X, formerly Twitter: 'Time for me to leave'
- The 15 craziest Nicolas Cage movies, ranked (including 'Longlegs')
- Bills LT Dion Dawkins opens up about Stefon Diggs trade: 'I hate to see him go'
- Ammo vending machines offer 24/7 access to bullets at some U.S. grocery stores
Recommendation
-
Katherine Schwarzenegger Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Pratt
-
Eminem cuts and soothes as he slays his alter ego on 'The Death of Slim Shady' album
-
North Carolina governor commutes 4 sentences, pardons 4 others
-
TikToker Bella Brave's Mom Shares Health Update Amid Daughter's Medically Induced Coma
-
Biden funded new factories and infrastructure projects, but Trump might get to cut the ribbons
-
Two Georgia football players arrested for speeding, reckless driving charges
-
Milwaukee hotel workers fired after death of Black man pinned down outside
-
AT&T 2022 security breach hits nearly all cellular customers and landline accounts with contact