Andrew Lester, the 86-year-old Kansas City man who shot Black honor student Ralph Yarl after the teen mistakenly rang his doorbell, has died before his scheduled sentencing on March 7. Prosecutors did not disclose how or when he died.
Lester, who was white, had pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree assault as part of a plea deal that carried a maximum sentence of seven years—far less than the 15 to 30 years he could have faced if convicted of first-degree assault.
Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson acknowledged Lester’s plea, stating, “While the legal proceedings have now concluded, we acknowledge that Mr. Lester did take responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty in this case. Our thoughts remain with both families affected by this tragic incident as they continue their healing process.”
Yarl’s family, however, expressed disappointment, saying Lester never apologized and had used legal maneuvers to delay accountability. “Now, another Black child harmed by prejudice will never see the man who shot him face the full weight of the justice system,” they said in a statement to NBC News. “Ralph Yarl survived, yet justice was never truly served. He has a lifetime ahead to carry the trauma of that night, while the man responsible escaped sentencing.”
The case sparked national outrage when Yarl, then 16, mistakenly showed up at Lester’s home on April 13, 2023, while trying to pick up his younger siblings. Lester shot him twice—once in the head and then again in the arm—before telling him, “Don’t come here ever again.”
Miraculously, Yarl survived. He has since graduated from high school and is moving forward with his life, though his family says the trauma of the shooting still weighs heavily on him.
Lester’s defense team claimed he acted in self-defense, saying he was frightened when Yarl knocked on his door late at night. But prosecutors argued there was no justification for opening fire on an unarmed teenager who posed no threat.
Last week, after the plea deal was reached, Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, voiced frustration over the delays in Lester’s case. “Why did we allow him to live in his house comfortably, do all the things that he desired to do?” she told NBC News.
The family also criticized the plea deal, arguing it does not erase the trauma they and Yarl endured, nor does it address systemic failures in the justice system, including racial bias. “While this marks a step toward accountability, true justice requires consequences that reflect the severity of his actions—anything less would be a failure to recognize the harm,” they said. “This case has never been just about Ralph—it is about every child’s right to exist without being seen as a threat.”
Yarl is now 18 and in his first semester of college at Texas A&M. He has not commented publicly about the news of Lester’s death.