The ex-wife of Andrew Lester, who has been accused of shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, is speaking out and says she was always scared of him during their marriage. Mary Clayton, 81, was married to Lester for 14 years and share three children together. But their relationship was extremely volatile, with Clayton telling the New York Times how her ex would become increasingly violent in the home they shared.
He would fly into a rage and allegedly smash objects across the house, and on one occasion, things had gotten so heated that she ended up calling the police on him. When cops arrived, however, they told her that there wasn’t really anything they could do since it was his home. Clayton eventually decided to leave Lester and relocated out to California. She said that her daughter phoned her last week to inform her about the shooting, to which she said, “It doesn’t surprise me.”
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When Clayton saw photos of her ex on the news, she said she couldn’t even recognize him, adding, “I was alway scared of him.” Lester has since pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action after appearing in court on Wednesday. As previously reported, the 84-year-old claims he shot Yarl outside of his Kansas City home because he mistook the teen for an intruder. Yarl had confused the house with another property where he was expected to pick up his siblings.
While speaking to cops at the hospital earlier this week, the teen said he rang the bell and waited for someone to answer when Lester opened the door and immediately shot him once in the head and in the leg. Lester was arrested before being released on a $200,000 bond on Tuesday, and faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of first-degree assault under Missouri law.
Lee Merritt, who is representing the victim in this case, had recently told reporters, “We thought that this was something the DOJ should be looking into. They are (looking into it). It’s under investigation, they’ve received our complaint and are now looking into it.
“I want him to spend the rest of his life in prison. All of his assets are going to become Ralph’s.”
He continued, “Ralph Yarl is home and recovering! How the bullet in his head didn’t cause more extensive damage is truly a miracle. To God be the glory!”
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People had protested all day on Sunday afternoon outside of Lester’s home, calling for his arrest, as news of the incident began to spread like wildfire on social media.
Yarl’s family says that the shooting was racially motivated and they are hoping the court will hold Lester accountable by punishing him to the fullest extent. The case remains ongoing.