Man charged in shooting of Ralph Yarl wants jurors, witnesses sequestered at trial
Andrew Lester, the man charged in the shooting a Kansas City teen who said he went to the wrong front 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 supposed to pick up his brothers at a nearby home in the Northland.
When he saw Yarl, then 16, on his doorstep, Lester, then 84, is accused of shooting Yarl twice within seconds, once in the head and once in the arm, according to court documents.
After he was shot, Yarl, running from Lester, told detectives he heard Lester say, “Don’t come around here.”
Lester was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, according to court records. The first charge could carry a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
Lester, who is white, told police he feared for his safety when he saw Yarl, who is Black. The shooting prompted national outrage, with many raising outcry about the shooting being racially motivated.
In May 2023, a Kansas City judge agreed to grant a protective order on request from Lester, who said he had faced harassment as details of Yarl’s ordeal went public. The order sealed all new discovery in the case from the public, though residents and members of the media will still be allowed to attend Lester’s trial.
When charges against Lester were announced, Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson told The Star that race factored into the charges, but declined to elaborate. Lester’s attorneys cited this in their motion for jury sequestration, writing that Lester’s case has a “pervasive racial component” and jurors should be sequestered due to “unsupported emotional fervor.”
Lester posted bond five days after the shooting, prompting wider conversations about bond reform in Kansas City. He pleaded not guilty at his August 2023 arraignment.
According to court documents, Lester’s attorney compared his case to Missouri cases where juries are sequestered because the defendant is eligible for the death penalty, arguing the stakes in both situations were similar.
Lester’s attorney also argued that the amount of media attention the case has received would make it necessary for jurors to be sequestered.
“This case has pervaded: local network media, national network media, local print media, national print media, local and national news magazine shows, social media, and international coverage,” the Aug. 2 motion read.
The Clay County judge overseeing the case has not yet ruled on whether jurors and witnesses will be sequestered.
Lester’s jury trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 7.
Meanwhile, Yarl recently graduated from high school as he continues to heal from his traumatic brain injury, which left him with debilitating headaches alongside physical and emotional scars.
While thrust into the national spotlight as an advocate for gun violence survivors, the bass clarinetist and National Merit Commended Student has said he’s working to enjoy a normal life. Yarl will attend Texas A&M University in the fall, where he plans to study chemical engineering.
