Andrew Lester, the man accused of fatally shooting a Kansas City teenager who claimed he went to the wrong door, asked a Clay County judge last week to sequester the jury and witnesses in his upcoming trial.
Ralph Yarl, 17, was shot in the head on April 13, 2023, when he rang Lester’s doorbell. He was picking up his brothers from a nearby house in Northland.
When he saw Yarl, then 16, standing outside his door, Lester, then 84, allegedly shot Yarl twice within seconds, once in the head and once in the arm, court documents show.
After he was shot, Yarl ran away from Lester and told detectives he heard Lester say, “Don’t come here again.”
Lester was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, according to court documents. The first charge carries a prison sentence of up to 30 years.
Lester, who is white, told police he feared for his safety when he saw Yarl, who is black. The shooting sparked national outrage, with many protesting that the shooting was racially motivated.
In May 2023, a Kansas City judge agreed to grant a protective order at the request of Lester, who said he had faced intimidation as details of Yarl’s ordeal became public. The order sealed all new discovery in the case from the public, though residents and members of the media would still be allowed to attend Lester’s trial.
When the charges against Lester were announced, Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson told The Star that race played a role in the charges, but he declined to go into details. Lester’s attorneys cited this in their motion for jury sequestration, writing that Lester’s case has a “pervasive racial component” and that jurors should be sequestered due to “unfounded emotional passion.”
Lester posted bail five days after the shooting, sparking broader conversations about bail reform in Kansas City. He pleaded not guilty at his August 2023 arraignment.
According to court documents, Lester’s attorney compared his case to cases in Missouri, where juries are not convened because the defendant is eligible for the death penalty. He said the stakes were similar in both situations.
Lester’s attorney also argued that the amount of media attention the case has received would make it necessary to isolate jurors.
“This case has spread: local network media, national network media, local print media, national print media, local and national news magazines, social media and international reporting,” the August 2 motion said.
The Clay County judge hearing the case has not yet decided whether to shield jurors and witnesses.
Lester’s jury trial is expected to begin on October 7.
Meanwhile, Yarl recently graduated from high school and is still recovering from his traumatic brain injury, which left him with debilitating headaches in addition to physical and emotional scars.
While he’s in the national spotlight as an advocate for gun violence survivors, the bass clarinetist and National Merit Commended Student has said he’s working on enjoying a normal life. Yarl will attend Texas A&M University in the fall, where he plans to study chemical engineering.
