KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lawyers representing a man accused of shooting a teen at a Northland home in April are asking a judge to seal the case.
Andrew Lester, 84, shot Ralph Yarl twice on April 13 after the teen went to the wrong the address to pick up his siblings.
Steven B. Salmon, the attorney representing Lester, filed a motion for the case to be sealed.
The shooting garnered nationwide news coverage, which is one of the reasons lawyers want the case sealed.
In the motion, Salmon argues the wide-spread coverage has resulted in "inaccurate and speculative statements surrounding the matter," among other things.
"Given the present publicity of the instant case, a future trial on the evidence with a jury will continue to reduce the size and qualification of potential jurors," Salmon said in the motion.
As a result of media coverage, Lester's home has been egged and his wife had to be relocated from a nursing home due to the publicity of the case, according to the motion.
Salmon says in the motion that sealing the case will allow Lester a fair and impartial trial, among other things.
Lester is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting of 16-year-old Yarl.
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