86-year-old white man accepts plea deal in wrong-door shooting of Black teen Ralph Yarl
Andrew Lester, the 86-year-old man charged in the 2023 wrong-door shooting of teen Ralph Yarl accepts a plea deal.
Andrew Lester, the 86-year-old white man charged with shooting Black teenager Ralph Yarl in the head after Yarl mistakenly rang his doorbell, accepted a plea deal Friday of up to seven years in jail, prosecutors said.
Lester agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of second-degree assault and faces one to seven years in the Missouri Department of Corrections service under terms of the agreement made with Clay County prosecutors. He will be sentenced on March 7.
He entered court in a wheelchair.
Yarl's mother, Cleo Nagbe', put her arm around her son and asked if he was OK. Yarl nodded.
Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said after the court hearing that the outcome "ensures accountability for the defendant, provides closure to Mr. Yarl, and satisfies the need to achieve a just result in the case.”
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