KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A preliminary ruling Friday from a Clay County judge will allow attorneys to ask Andrew Lester at his upcoming trial about his state of mind when he fired his gun and wounded Ralph Yarl.
KSHB 41 reporter/anchor Ju Yeon Kim reported from the Clay County Court prosecutors argued you can't ask a lay person, including police officers or detectives, about the reasonableness or the justification of Andrew Lester's actions because no one can prove what was going through his mind at the time.
Lester is accused of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the April 13, 2023, shooting of Yarl outside Lester's Clay County home.
Yarl, then 16, mistakenly went to the wrong home to pick up his twin brothers when he was shot.
The judge said if Lester testifies about his thoughts when the shooting happened that could be the crux of the trial, Kim reported from the courthouse.
The judge did tell the attorneys he would offer more on this question later.
Both sides agreed not to allow commentary or messages worn on shirts or written on posters in the courtroom during the trial.
The trial is scheduled for February 18th in Clay County Court in Liberty, Mo.
