Mission, Kan. (AP) -86-year-old Missouri man died only days after he pleaded guilty to a less accusation in the shooting in 2023 by Ralph Yarl, a black honor student who rang the white man’s door by mistake , prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Andrew Leicester of Kansas City was charged with a first-degree attack and armed criminal actions in the shooting of the then 16-year-old, who survived and is now a freshman in Texas A&M. Before his trial began, he pleaded guilty on Friday a less accusation of a second-degree attack, which he brings to seven years behind bars. He was planned to be sentenced on March 7th.
A Class Congurr, spokesman for Clay County, said Leicester’s lawyer had informed them of his death.
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“We learned about the passage of Andrew Leicester and expanding our sincere condolences to his family during this difficult time,” prosecutors said in a news message. “While the court proceedings are already over, we admit that G -N -Lester has taken responsibility for his actions, pleading guilty in this case.”
The news announcement did not offer a cause of death. Kansas City police did not immediately answer emails looking for a comment. Sarah Boyd, spokesman for Clay County, did not immediately answer an email from the Associated Press.
The case shocked the country and renewed the national debate on US weapons policies and competitions
Yarl appeared on the threshold of Leicester on the night of April 13, 2023, after mixing the streets where he had to take his brothers and sisters.
Leicester’s lawyer, Steve Salmon, claims that Leicester is holding on to self -defense and that he is terrified of the stranger who knocked on his door as he settled into bed. Authorities say Leicester shot Yarl twice: first in the head, then in the hand.
Yarl testified to hearing that he was calling the bell and then waited for someone to answer what looked “longer than normal”. As the inner door opened, Yarl said he reached out to grasp the storm door, assuming that he was with his friends’ parents.
He said Leicester shot him in his head and said, “Never come here again.” Although the bullet did not penetrate the brain of Yarl, the impact knocked him on the ground. Yarl said Leicester shot him in the hand. The teenager was taken to the hospital and was released three days later.
His family said the shooting had taken a large emotional fee and they had filed a case against the retired aircraft mechanics.
“Now another black child, damaged by prejudice, will never see the person who shot him, facing the full weight of the justice system. While Leicester finally admitted the guilt, she came at the last moment – after two years of stagnation. This delay leaves our family to fall apart, “said Yarl’s family in a written statement on Wednesday.
Salmon said last year that Leicester’s physical and mental state had deteriorated. He said Leicester had heart problems, broken thigh and was hospitalized. Leicester also lost 50 pounds (23 pounds), which Salmon blamed with the stress of the intense media coverage and the threats of the death he subsequently received.
During the hearing on Friday, the judge asked Leicester if he was in poor health. Leicester answered yes.
“Ralph is doing his best to get better,” a family spokesman said in a text.
Previously, a judge had ordered a mental assessment of Leicester, but allowed the process to continue after its completion. The results of this assessment were not publicly published.
Leicester’s grandson, Daniel Ludwig, did not immediately return a text message from the Associated Press, looking for a comment.