KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Clay County Circuit Court judge has called a hearing on Friday in the criminal case against Andrew Lester, the man charged with opening fire on teen Raph Yarl in 2023.
The hearing comes days before Lester’s trial is set to begin on Feb. 18.
In a news release Thursday by the Clay County Prosecuting Attorney’s office, Prosecutor Zachary Thompson said Lester will appear at Friday’s 1:30 p.m. hearing in Clay County.
The nature of the hearing was not disclosed and public court records have not been updated with the scheduled hearing.
In the release, Thompson said Yarl’s family would be in attendance at the hearing. Thompson said he would hold a press conference 45 minutes after the hearing to “discuss the case status, next steps and answer questions related to the process.”
Parties last met for a pre-trial conference on Jan. 24, 2025, to go over last-minute motions ahead of the Feb. 18 trial. Lester was not present at that hearing.
Lester faces felony first-degree assault and felony armed criminal action in connection to the April 13, 2023, shooting of Yarl.
In late 2024, Judge Louis Angles allowed the case to continue after the court received the results of a mental competency evaluation.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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