Andrew Lester’s attorney, Steven Salmon, said his client had been in “seriously ill health for a significant time.” He said Lester did not die by suicide.

Andrew Lester died on Wednesday (Feb. 19), according to a statement from Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson. The news comes just days after the 86-year-old plead guilty to felony assault in the second degree for shooting Ralph Yarl, the Black teenager who accidentally knocked on his door in 2023.