Andrew Lester pleads guilty in shooting of unarmed Kansas City teen Ralph Yarl

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) – Andrew Lester, a man who garnered both national and international attention after police say he shot Ralph Yarl, an unarmed teenage boy, outside of his Kansas City home in 2023, has pleaded guilty in a Clay County courtroom to second-degree assault on Friday afternoon.

His plea carries a maximum of seven years in prison. Sentencing will take place on March 7 when Yarl and his mother Cleo Nagbe are expected to deliver victim impact statements.

They've already provided this statement to Nexstar's WDAF:

“We trust in the truth, and we trust in justice. But real change happens when people take a hard look at their own biases and choose to do better. We hope this case sparks conversations that lead to action—because no child should have to suffer.”

In lieu of Lester's plea to second-degree assault, the two felonies he was originally charged with have been dropped, a stunning reversal after his attorney said it would be challenging for prosecutors to get a conviction on those felonies.

In April 2023, the then 84-year-old shot then-16-year-old Yarl twice – above his left eye and in his upper right arm – after the teen showed up at his house thinking it was the correct location to pick up his siblings.

A few days later, Lester turned himself over to the authorities and was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

Following the shooting, Yarl survived, and only a year later, testified in a Clay County court.

He said that on the day of the shooting, he didn't have his phone and couldn't remember what address he was given to pick up his siblings. This led Yarl to Lester's front door.

Yarl further elaborated, claiming that after he rang the doorbell, Lester shot him through the glass of his front door and proclaimed, "Don't ever come here ever again." This has raised many questions about racially motivated crimes in the United States.

Over the last few years though, Lester has been in and out of court several times.

Specifically, in recent months, a court found Lester mentally capable of proceeding with the trial after he received a mental health evaluation and his team settled a $100,000, "eyebrow-raising" civil lawsuit filed by Yarl's mother.

The lawsuit became a piece of contention in the courtroom, giving the defense grounds to call Lester's actions careless and negligent, as opposed to criminal.

This plea happened only four days before Lester's trial was set to begin.

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