News & Politics - Texas mom Andrea Yates not guilty in kids' deaths

TokyoNiGHTS · 07-26-2006, 11:36 AM

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A jury on Wednesday found Texas mother Andrea Yates not guilty by reason of insanity in the drownings of her five children, ages 6 months to 7 years, in the bathtub of their Houston home five years ago.

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The decision means Yates, 42, will go to a state mental hospital for treatment until a judge decides she is sane enough to be released, a process which could take years

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Yates had a history of mental illness and suicide attempts when, on June 20, 2001, she drowned Noah, 7, John, 5, Paul, 3, Luke, 2, and Mary, six months, one by one in the family bathtub while husband Rusty Yates was at his job at NASA's Johnson Space Centre.

Witnesses for the defence said Yates suffered from a delusion induced by postpartum psychosis that drowning the children would spare them from damnation.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/news...IME-MOTHER.xml

I don't really know what to say, i'm still absolutely amazed that she was found not guilty this time.

Lexis · 07-26-2006, 12:25 PM

I'm not familiar with these case but my lord, how horrific. Those poor little children. It's sad that the signs were there but nobody saw them.

**TheAngel** · 07-26-2006, 12:49 PM

I don't think she sould ever be released from the hospital and that's what I don't get about these insanity pleas. People are put in jail because they're a danger to the community, to society, to themselves, and for murder, normally they aren't released. How do they know she won't snap and do this again? I think she should be locked away for life. Besides, most people with severe mental problems aren't ever cured, their problems are just under control for a while.

Lain · 07-26-2006, 04:33 PM

I watched one of those news channels this morning and I heard they mentioned about the mistake that happened in court when someone...forgot who though but i'm pretty sure was defending Yates...said that she was inspired by the episode from Law & Order in which a mom has drowned her kids. And apparently, there was never such an episode on L&O

***Jerry D*** · 07-26-2006, 08:30 PM

I definitely agree that Andrea Yates should never be released from whatever mental hospital she goes to. Insane or not, she killed her five children in a horrific way, and I don't think that someone like that should be let back into society.

***BLONDIE*** · 07-27-2006, 12:36 AM

IMHO, the people that are responsible for those children dying are the doctors who didn't treat her illness properly. YES, she committed the crime and yes she is the one who killed her children, but for years leading up to their deaths, she went from hospital, to hospital trying to get help, but it was never properly given to her. In her mind (at that time) she thought she was giving her children to the lord and that it was god's plan, all alone for her to do that, to keep them from the devil. That to me, screams serious ILLNESS. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way defending her, nor do I believe she should be found NOT GUILTY, cause by her hands they died, but the reason they died, is because her illness went untreated. The illness took control of her and that's something that could have been controlled and Andrea was never given the proper attention she needed and for that, her children paid dearly and it breaks my heart and made me cry, when I first heard about it, but at the same time, I was so angry, cause she reached out for help and never got it.

SMG_fan · 07-27-2006, 05:39 AM

I remember when this happened, it was awful. I'm pretty sure that her husband was pretty nasty, he made her home school the kids, made have have more kids after she had already suffered from post natal depression and then wouldn't let her see a psychiatrist or take anti depressants. I saw a law and order episode (can't remember which law and order) where they pretty much took off the whole case, except the mum blew the kids up. I think that that if the husband did act like this then there should be something they can charge him with.

I used to think they should lock Andrea Yates up and throw away the key, but now I believe that she should be in a mental hospital. I don't think she should ever be released though. Anyway they said today that everytime she goes on her medidcation that as it starts to work she realises what she has done and sinks back and stops taking them again. She has to live with that for the rest of her life and I honestly believe that, even on medication, knowing what she has done that she'll never be sane enough to be released. How could she be, remembering what she did every day for the rest of her life.

Belinda

Lain · 07-29-2006, 01:22 PM

Unfortunately, there are too many cases these days of parents who believe their child is possesed by the devil and "sacrificed" their children to either save them or for their "lord"

Nayden-fan868 · 08-04-2006, 12:12 AM

I remember watching the case on TV. He husband was awful. Didn't he see she was crazy and he still made her home school her kids. Little boys are a handful and being around four 24/7

But she should have just left them and ran away or something. Not killed them.

xextremex · 08-16-2006, 09:34 PM

Unbelievable. She should be in jail for life.

And her husband has been defending her?! I will never understand...

LittleMilkJug · 08-16-2006, 11:18 PM

As a mother of five children myself who regularly drive me to distraction I'm sure this woman must be TOTALLY out of her mind to do such a thing. I am in no way saying, poor thing or condoning this, what she has done is beyond terrible but to kill her children in this way shows a mind greatly disturbed. She must be taken out of society for good.

Nayden-fan868 · 08-16-2006, 11:42 PM

IMO, it's her husband's fault plain and simple, the woman never got a break. Parents gets a break when the kids go to school

-Kelly- · 08-17-2006, 01:30 AM

She should be in jail....

**GrhmLz** · 08-18-2006, 09:38 PM

Tragic Story... for everyone involved.

I feel bad for Andrea Yates and those poor children. I'm sorry, but i can't find it in me to hate a woman that is mentally ill. Mentally ill people do not belong in jail they belong in a hospital; therefore, i agree with this new verdict! Hopefully, she will now get the proper medical treatment she was seeking for so long but failed to receive.

I'm torn about Russell Yates. On one end, i don't think he should be crucified for standing by his wife b/c she's ill but i'm starting to believe that was just a facade since he left her anyway and remarried. But on the otherhand, i feel he holds some partial responsibility. I remember reading that she slipped into a severe state of post pardom depression after one of the children were born and that the doctor made it clear she shouldn't have anymore children. Yet more came. Apparantly, this severe PPD set her off into a deeper/more severe psychosis from what i've heard. Why didn't Russell Yates take that doctor's recommendation seriously? Also, apparantly, there were certain "strange" episodes reported to him by neighbors/friends but he continued to leave her alone with the children anyway? There's something fishy with some of his choices/actions.

Well, time and the doctor's expertise will only tell if she'll recover or not. I hope she can recover and i don't wish her any malice. She has to live with this while she lives and that's sad enough! Only God can be her judge and in time i hope she can forgive herself.

And may God Bless the children. May their souls find peace with God!

jalapeno_wildchild · 08-20-2006, 04:17 PM

at least she's in a place where she can't hurt anyone else and will hopefully get the help she needs.


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