Introduction
The murder of five children in a bathtub by their mother is one of the most horrifying murder cases witnessed in American criminal justice system’s history. On June twentieth, 2001, a Houston resident, Andrea Yates, killed her five children by drowning them in their bathtub (Friedman, Hall & Sorrentino, 2013). Investigations would later reveal that Andreas had been suffering for some time from severe postpartum depression and psychosis. In 2002, Yates was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life imprisonment since Texas had abolished the capital penalty sentence (McLellan, 2006). Her conviction had a possible parole after forty years in jail. However, the sentence was overturned on an appeal she filed. In July 2006, a jury found that Andreas was not guilty by reason of insanity. Yates was consequently committed to North Texas State Hospital, a high-security mental facility in Texas so that she could receive medical treatment. Yates was later moved to a low-security mental facility in Kerrville, Texas.
Background information on Andrea Yates and the incident
Yates was born in Houston and is youngest of the five children born to Jutta Koehler and Andrew Emmet Kennedy. She was raised in a Catholic setting and graduated from Milby High School in Houston in 1982. Yates was the captain of the swimming team and a class valedictorian. She completed a two-year pre-nursing program at the University of Houston (McLellan, 2006). She, later on, graduated from the School of Nursing at the University of Texas. Yates worked from 1986 to 1994 at the University of Texas M.D Anderson Cancer Center as a registered nurse.
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In 1989, Andreas met Russell and they moved in together. The couple married in 1993 and bought a house in Friendswood town. They had their first child, Noah, in 1994. The family moved to Florida after Russell had accepted a job there but would, later on, move back to Houston by the time of their third son’s birth. The family then settled in Houston and purchased a GMC motor home. Andrea became depressed after her fourth son was born (McLellan, 2006). It is alleged that her depression was influenced by extremist sermons sold by a bus preacher called Michael Peter Woroniecki. It became a family concern, particularly the way Andrea got captivated by the preacher’s message. Sometime in June 1999, Russell found his wife shaking and chewing her fingers. Andrea attempted suicide the following day by overdosing on pills. Subsequently, she was admitted to a hospital where she was placed on antidepressants. Shet attempted suicide after her discharge from the hospital when she tried to stab herself (Friedman, Hall & Sorrentino, 2013). Again, she was hospitalized and placed on a mixture of medications that included some anti-psychotic drugs. She was released after her condition had improved.
However, a month later, Andrea succumbed to a nervous breakdown and, again, attempted suicide on two occasions that led to her hospitalization in a psychiatric facility. Andrea was then diagnosed with postpartum psychosis. In his testimony during the trial, her psychiatrist confirmed that she had advised the couple not to have more kids because this had the potential for further psychotic depression. After the death of her father, Andrea’s condition degenerated as she stopped taking her medication. She began to mutilate her body (Friedman, Hall & Sorrentino, 2013). She then hospitalized where she was treated and released on May 3, 2001. However, she went back to the hospital when she tried to kill her children. After a month, when her husband had left for work and was left to watch over the children, Andrea committed the murders of her five kids. In a space of one hour before the scheduled arrival of Russell’s mom, Andrea had murdered all of her five children by drowning them in her bathtub and laying them in her bed. After that, she called the police and then called the husband.
Outcome of the trial
Andrea Yates confessed to murdering her children by drowning them. The defense agreed that Andrea was psychotic but Texas statute requires that a successful insanity defense must be proven by the inability of the defendant to discern right from wrong at the time of the event. Therefore, a jury verdict rejected the defense’s insanity plea and found Yates guilty of murder. The prosecution had asked for a death penalty but the jury declined the prayer. Consequently, the trial court sentenced Yates to life imprisonment (Salas, 2013). She was eligible for parole after serving forty years in jail. However, the trial court’s decision was reversed by the Appeal Court of Texas on the basis that one of the prosecution witnesses had admitted to giving material false testimony during the trial. The court opined that this false testimony may have influenced the jury decision. As a result, a new trial was held where Yates was found not guilty by reason of insanity, as outlined by the Texas statutes (Salas, 2013). Yates was committed to North Texas State Hospital, a high-security mental facility so that she could undergo treatment for her condition. Andrea was subsequently moved to a low security state facility for mental cases after one year.
Conclusion
Andrea’s trial provided an opportunity for many to scrutinize critically the value system in the U.S. particularly family values. Andrea had suffered depression in her teen years and at one moment talked to a friend about suicide. Therefore, her actions later in life may have been influenced by her upbringing.
References
Friedman, S. H., Hall, R. C., & Sorrentino, R. M. (2013). Commentary: women, violence, and insanity. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online , 41(4), 523-528.
McLellan, F. (2006). Mental health and justice: the case of Andrea Yates. The Lancet , Vol.368, No.9551, pp.1951-1954.
Salas, C. (2013). The Case for Excluding the Criminal Confessions of the Mentally Ill. Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities , Vol.16, No.1, pp.7. New York, NY: Elsevier Publishing
