Attorney for white homeowner who shot Ralph Yarl says his client needs a psychological evaluation

The attorney for 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 has requested a psychological examination for his client, saying he believes the retired aircraft mechanic no longer understands the proceedings against him.

Andrew Lester’s lawyer filed the motion on Tuesday. 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. Lester was 84 at the time.

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. Lester’s trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 7.

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.

Now he contends that Lester needs psychiatrists or psychologists to examine him and make a recommendation about whether he should be held in custody in a suitable hospital facility for treatment while decisions about how to proceed are made.

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’s physical and mental condition has deteriorated, Salmon wrote. He said Lester has had heart issues, a broken hip and hospitalizations.

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.

Salmon said Lester has memory issues relating to key facts about the case that formerly were not a problem. He said Lester thinks every pretrial hearing is the actual trial, despite being told otherwise, and believes that coins he purchased from a TV ad are now worth about $20 million.

Salmon wrote that he believes that Lester now lacks the capacity to understand the proceedings against him or to assist in his own defense.