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Defendant Andrew Lester was charged with first-degree assault
and armed criminal action for shooting Ralph Yarl, 16, on the
doorstep of his suburban home on April 13.
Lester pleaded not guilty at an arraignment six days later, and
again on Wednesday in Clay County Circuit Court, where his case
was moved in August because the first court could not try felony
cases, according to assistant Clay County prosecutor and
spokesperson Alexander Higginbotham.
Lester faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted
of first-degree assault, and up to 15 years in prison for the
armed criminal action charge.
The encounter between Lester and Yarl occurred when the teenager
walked up to Lester's house late at night by accident, mistaking
it for another home nearby with a similar address where Yarl
intended to pick up his younger siblings, according to
authorities.
Lester fired two shots through a glass door with a .32-caliber
revolver, according to prosecutors. Yarl was struck in the head
and an arm, apparently before crossing the threshold or
exchanging any words with Lester, according to Clay County
prosecutor Zachary Thompson.
Local media, however, reported that court documents indicate
Yarl reported to police who interviewed him at the hospital that
Lester told him: "Don't come around here."
An attorney for Yarl's family called for prosecutors to file
hate-crime charges, but they carry lesser penalties in Missouri
than the two counts Lester faces. Thompson has said the case has
"a racial component," without elaborating.
Lester was freed on his own recognizance soon after being
detained following the shooting. His swift release fueled days
of protest before he was charged days later and he turned
himself back in to police.
(Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by Will Dunham)
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