Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old, accidentally knocked on the wrong door.
Yarl told authorities he accidentally drove to the wrong street, which led to him winding up at the wrong house. However, for him, that was almost a death sentence. Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old at home, responded by shooting Yarl. Lesters defense claims that the 84-year-old saw the teenager as a threat. However, given Lesters previous behavior, others say the shooting is almost expected.
Mary Clayton, 81, was married to Lester for fourteen years. Clayton has three daughters with Lester but says that she hasnt spoken to him in decades. According to Clayton, she didnt even recognize him. However, she still remembers him as being prone to violence during their troubled marriage.
Clayton told news outlets that she was scared of him during the marriage, pointing out that he would erupt in rage, resulting in him breaking things around the house. She doesnt find the incident surprising.
His ex-wife wasnt the only person standing with the victim. According to the grandson of Lester, Klint Ludwig, it may be because his father is a racist conservative. He says it is wrong that it took so long to press charges against his grandfather and that hes relieved the teenager will recover. According to The NY Post, When asked if he considers Lester to be racist, Ludwig said: I believe that there have been some positions that hes held that have been bigoted or sort of disparaging. The article says, Its Anybody who gets an abortion is a murderer and Fatherless black families are why crime exists in this country. Its stuff everybodys heard at the Thanksgiving table every year, Ludwig said.
Other relatives dont believe it was racially motivated or due to anger issues. Instead, they point out that Lester is highly paranoid and once served in the military. They say he has grown increasingly paranoid in recent years, making him scared.
Right now, Lester remains free. According to BBC, Mr. Lester was allowed to remain free on bail pending trial but was ordered to monitor his mobile phone and surrender his passport. He was also banned from accessing guns or going near the Yarl family.
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