Yates not guilty by reason of insanity

mpg82mpg82 Posts: 83
edited July 2006 in A Moving Train
By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writer

HOUSTON - A jury found Andrea Yates not guilty by reason of insanity in the drowning deaths of her young children in the bathtub of their suburban home.

Yates will be committed to a state mental hospital, with periodic hearings before a judge to determine whether she should be released. If convicted, she would have faced life in prison.

Yates' attorneys never disputed that she drowned 6-month-old Mary, 2-year-old Luke, 3-year-old Paul, 5-year-old John and 7-year-old Noah in their Houston-area home in June 2001. But they said she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis and, in a delusional state, thought Satan was inside her and was trying to save them from hell.

This is the second trial for the 42-year-old suburban mother.

The jury had spent 11 hours Monday and Tuesday trying to determine if Yates was legally insane. Wednesday morning, they reviewed the state's definition of insanity and then asked to see a family photo and candid pictures of the five smiling youngsters. After about an hour of deliberations, they said they had reached a verdict.

In Yates' first murder trial, in 2002, the jury deliberated about four hours before finding her guilty. That conviction was overturned on appeal.


All I have to say is she has a great lawyer. They never let people off for insanity. But I guess that's what happens when you wait FOUR FUCKING YEARS to go to court. It's old news.
6/26/98, 6/27/98, 06/13/99, 10/08/00, 6/18/03, 6/21/03, 6/29/06, 6/30/06, 5/7/10
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Comments

  • DeLukinDeLukin Posts: 2,757
    I take it you disagree with the verdict? She's definitely got some mental issues and needs help, IMO.
    I smile, but who am I kidding...
  • SpartanacusSpartanacus Oviedo, FL Posts: 855
    DeLukin wrote:
    I take it you disagree with the verdict? She's definitely got some mental issues and needs help, IMO.

    IMO...you can fuck off too.

    The only help she needs is a kick in the ass to the gas chamber...although a lifetime of hard labor and suffering in Siberia is what she really deserves.

    May she suffer and rot in Hell for all of eternity (if there is a Hell).
    19 (*soon to be 21) Pearl Jam shows (plus 2 Eddie & 1 TOTD) and still searching for Deep!
    1998 (2) - East Lansing & Auburn Hills; 2000 (2) - Tampa & Noblesville; 2003 (2) - Lexington & Noblesville; 2006 (1) - Cincinnati; 2007 (1) - Chicago (Lollapalooza); 2008 (Ed in Milwaukee); 2009 (1) - Chicago; 2010 (1) - Noblesville; 2013 (3) - San Diego & Los Angeles I & II; 2016 (Temple of the Dog in Los Angeles); 2017 (Ed at Ohana in Dana Point);
    2021 (3) - Dana Point I, II & III; 2022 (3) - San Diego & Los Angeles I & II; *2025 (2) - Hollywood, FL I & II
  • mpg82mpg82 Posts: 83
    She'll be out in five years...and, God forbid, remarried.
    6/26/98, 6/27/98, 06/13/99, 10/08/00, 6/18/03, 6/21/03, 6/29/06, 6/30/06, 5/7/10
  • NCfanNCfan Posts: 945
    mikeg19_82 wrote:
    She'll be out in five years...and, God forbid, remarried.

    LOL, that could be the most light-hearted thing I've thought about all day.... some dude that would marry that bitch after what she's done. The funny thing is, you know there are plenty of guys out there that would do it, ha ha ha!
  • JaneNYJaneNY Posts: 4,438
    Its hard to fathom at all. But how could a sane mother kill her children, you know? What mother in her right mind would do this? To me the very act itself suggests insanity within. I love my children. I could NEVER EVER do this, no matter what. But she should be kept away from children, kept away from society, and never permitted to the possibility of reproducing again.
    R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
    R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
    R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
  • bryn_cmbsbryn_cmbs Posts: 407
    Spartancus wrote:
    IMO...you can fuck off too.

    The only help she needs is a kick in the ass to the gas chamber...although a lifetime of hard labor and suffering in Siberia is what she really deserves.

    May she suffer and rot in Hell for all of eternity (if there is a Hell).

    harsh
  • DeLukinDeLukin Posts: 2,757
    Spartancus wrote:
    IMO...you can fuck off too.

    The only help she needs is a kick in the ass to the gas chamber...although a lifetime of hard labor and suffering in Siberia is what she really deserves.

    May she suffer and rot in Hell for all of eternity (if there is a Hell).

    Dude, take a pill or something. If ever there was a case for the insanity plea this is it. Her only motive for drowning her kids was that the voice in her head told her to??? You can't get more mentally disturbed than that... actually, you could - but it would involve telling people to fuck off on message boards while ranting about gas chambers, Siberia and hell.

    IMF'ingO
    I smile, but who am I kidding...
  • suffragettesuffragette Posts: 253
    bryn_cmbs wrote:
    harsh

    Very. An insane act by definition is insane. Insanity is not punishable by death as life is punishment enough. What about her husband? He seems to have moved on quite easily. Leave her to her own thoughts; punishment enough.
  • suffragettesuffragette Posts: 253
    DeLukin wrote:
    Dude, take a pill or something. If ever there was a case for the insanity plea this is it. Her only motive for drowning her kids was that the voice in her head told her to??? You can't get more mentally disturbed than that... actually, you could - but it would involve telling people to fuck off on message boards while ranting about gas chambers, Siberia and hell.

    IMF'ingO

    well said.
  • RushlimboRushlimbo Posts: 832
    Spartancus wrote:
    IMO...you can fuck off too.

    The only help she needs is a kick in the ass to the gas chamber...although a lifetime of hard labor and suffering in Siberia is what she really deserves.

    May she suffer and rot in Hell for all of eternity (if there is a Hell).

    Talk about disturbed. I laugh at your insanity as well.
    War is Peace
    Freedom is Slavery
    Ignorance is Strength
  • SpartanacusSpartanacus Oviedo, FL Posts: 855
    I'm sure she was insane...but so what? The insanity defense is one of the biggest crocks of shit in this country. Most violent criminals are insane to some extent. Oh sorry...she's not a "criminal" is she? She's only a mental patient because she was hearing voices when she did it. Yeah...fucking prove it. And even if she did hear voices, who cares. You're done on this Earth. But you know what my fellow sickos...to be "nice" I'd even give her a choice...A lifetime of hard labor or instant death Ms. Yates?

    And if you think that's too harsh...fine. But at the very least I'd want her locked up for life. But then why should I pay for her rehabilitation if she's never getting out again? Prison, "hospital", country club, whatever you want to call it...keep her out of society.

    And sorry, but anyone who thinks she should be a member of society again is is clearly naive, weak minded, pitiful, and stupid.

    So she might be out in a few years, but a guy who was drunk "out of his mind" at a bar, who got into a fight with another drunk out of his mind guy, who he hit one too many times should be in jail the rest of his life, but she shouldn't...BECAUSE SHE WAS INSANE???

    Give me a break.
    19 (*soon to be 21) Pearl Jam shows (plus 2 Eddie & 1 TOTD) and still searching for Deep!
    1998 (2) - East Lansing & Auburn Hills; 2000 (2) - Tampa & Noblesville; 2003 (2) - Lexington & Noblesville; 2006 (1) - Cincinnati; 2007 (1) - Chicago (Lollapalooza); 2008 (Ed in Milwaukee); 2009 (1) - Chicago; 2010 (1) - Noblesville; 2013 (3) - San Diego & Los Angeles I & II; 2016 (Temple of the Dog in Los Angeles); 2017 (Ed at Ohana in Dana Point);
    2021 (3) - Dana Point I, II & III; 2022 (3) - San Diego & Los Angeles I & II; *2025 (2) - Hollywood, FL I & II
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    The insanity defense is laughable. Of course she was insane. In my opinion, ANYONE who kills someone else is insane.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • _Crazy_Mary__Crazy_Mary_ Posts: 1,299
    know1, you took the words right out of my mouth - of course she's insane. No sane person would drown her children!

    This is not excusable. She should be put to death, crazy as she is. We don't need that kind of person to be a part of society. Put her down!
    I really screwed that up. I really Schruted it.
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    know1, you took the words right out of my mouth - of course she's insane. No sane person would drown her children!

    This is not excusable. She should be put to death, crazy as she is. We don't need that kind of person to be a part of society. Put her down!

    I don't believe in the death penalty, but she should be found guilty in my opinion.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • _Crazy_Mary__Crazy_Mary_ Posts: 1,299
    know1 wrote:
    I don't believe in the death penalty, but she should be found guilty in my opinion.

    of course you don't, and I know that. :)
    I really screwed that up. I really Schruted it.
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    of course you don't, and I know that. :)

    I will say that Ron White has some pretty funny commentaries on the death penalty that I do not agree with but I appreciate the humor of. Here's one (paraphrased):

    "A group of people protested on the killer's behalf saying that we shouldn't kill him because he's too crazy to know we're killing himl"

    "Hmm..if he's too crazy to know we're killing him and it makes me feel good......what's the problem?"
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • JaneNYJaneNY Posts: 4,438
    This is not excusable. She should be put to death, crazy as she is. We don't need that kind of person to be a part of society. Put her down!

    What about this thought - insanity is an illness. An ill person that might harm others would be kept separate, like a quarantine. There use to be leper colonies because this disease was contagious, and probably there were taxes involved in the maintenance of the lepers. Authorities didn't just kill the lepers even though they might harm others by the fact of the disease they carried. Why wouldn't that logic apply here? Yates could be looked at in some capacity as a leper - capable of harming others due to her illness. Should we kill all who are ill because their illness might harm others?
    R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
    R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
    R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
  • _Crazy_Mary__Crazy_Mary_ Posts: 1,299
    JaneNY wrote:
    What about this thought - insanity is an illness. An ill person that might harm others would be kept separate, like a quarantine. There use to be leper colonies because this disease was contagious, and probably there were taxes involved in the maintenance of the lepers. Authorities didn't just kill the lepers even though they might harm others by the fact of the disease they carried. Why wouldn't that logic apply here? Yates could be looked at in some capacity as a leper - capable of harming others due to her illness. Should we kill all who are ill because their illness might harm others?

    If you have to tell yourself this to feel better, go ahead. Yates isn't just "capable of harming others due to her illness." She murdered her children. She knew what she was doing, crazy or not.
    I really screwed that up. I really Schruted it.
  • moeaholicmoeaholic Posts: 535
    know1 wrote:
    I don't believe in the death penalty, but she should be found guilty in my opinion.

    and have her reproductive organs removed. hollow her out like a jack-o-fucking-lantern.
    "PC Load Letter?! What the fuck does that mean?"
    ~Michael Bolton
  • Uncle LeoUncle Leo Posts: 1,059
    mikeg19_82 wrote:
    She'll be out in five years...and, God forbid, remarried.

    She will NOT be out in five years. She will probably never be out.

    That said, you could argue anyone that commits a violent crime is "insane." I always kind of fear the slippery slope. I think she's guilty of five murders.
    I cannot come up with a new sig till I get this egg off my face.
  • _Crazy_Mary__Crazy_Mary_ Posts: 1,299
    and you KNOW this how?

    the same way you do
    I really screwed that up. I really Schruted it.
  • hippiemomhippiemom Posts: 3,326
    the same way you do
    How? How could you possibly know what she knew or was thinking? How do you know that she knew it was wrong? How do you know how she even perceived it at the time? I don't know that it's possible for anyone to know that, maybe not even her.
    "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." ~ MLK, 1963
  • JaneNYJaneNY Posts: 4,438
    If you have to tell yourself this to feel better, go ahead. Yates isn't just "capable of harming others due to her illness." She murdered her children. She knew what she was doing, crazy or not.

    Why this kind of talk? What do you mean 'telling myself' - I am telling you what I think, not myself. I already know what I think. She did murder her children. Will we murder her? What does that solve? Does that make the world better? Or would it be better to understand? To know as much as possible so the next person in this situation is prevented from doing similar acts and some other childrens' lives are saved? I guess we may have to agree to disagree. And neither of us are decision makers in this specific situation, so we'll just have to watch what happens.
    R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
    R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
    R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
  • jeffbrjeffbr Seattle Posts: 7,177
    I don't know if she's insane or not, and I don't care, as long as she's locked away and never gets to be a participating member of society again. She forfeited that right by brutally killing those babies.
    "I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
  • JaneNYJaneNY Posts: 4,438
    jeffbr wrote:
    I don't know if she's insane or not, and I don't care, as long as she's locked away and never gets to be a participating member of society again.

    I agree with you there.
    R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
    R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
    R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
  • rightonduderightondude Posts: 745
    Well Jail aint gonna help this loonie bird one bit right now. Therapy might and will if anything. If not she always has a (not so) comfy cell to fall back on/in.

    So for all those kooks out there take solace that she'll have a life sentence jail term shadowing closely at her heels. How many of you would love to see her hang and kick from a noose? Injection perhaps?
  • dkst0426dkst0426 Posts: 523
    If Yates ever gets released from state mental health care, she should be released to the state penitentiary system.
  • Bu2Bu2 Posts: 1,693
    I think that she shouldn't be allowed out of the institution until she's reached menopause and can no longer bear children.
    Feels Good Inc.
  • jeffbrjeffbr Seattle Posts: 7,177
    Well Jail aint gonna help this loonie bird one bit right now. Therapy might and will if anything. If not she always has a (not so) comfy cell to fall back on/in.

    So for all those kooks out there take solace that she'll have a life sentence jail term shadowing closely at her heels. How many of you would love to see her hang and kick from a noose? Injection perhaps?

    I don't care about helping her. Safety is my concern, not her well-being or mental health. I take solace that she will be locked up somewhere and won't be able to do this again.

    But if you're so hot for her maybe you could start writing to her, marry her, and request conjugal visits.
    "I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
  • hippiemomhippiemom Posts: 3,326
    jeffbr wrote:
    I don't care about helping her. Safety is my concern, not her well-being or mental health. I take solace that she will be locked up somewhere and won't be able to do this again.

    But if you're so hot for her maybe you could start writing to her, marry her, and request conjugal visits.
    If we don't try to heal people like this, we will never learn how, and learning how is the only hope of preventing things like this from happening in the future. Killing her or leaving her to waste away in a cell would be a wasted opportunity to increase our knowledge.
    "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." ~ MLK, 1963
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