(25) Andrea propelled this account, spurring the public, her "jury," to see her as the Satanic mother she believed herself to be. (23) According to this view, it could be said that Andrea was supremely sane-her acts rational and premeditated (24)-despite her unquestioned history of postpartum psychosis. (22) Many were unable to comprehend such violence except by declaring it intentional and evil. (21) Yet, her composed behavior on the day she killed her children stirred a strong retributive response. On the one hand, the public had much sympathy for Andrea and the life that she led. Public opinion on the Yates killings helps explain some of the more contradictory themes in the case.
(19) According to Andrea, she killed her children to save them from Satan and her own evil maternal influences, (20) delusions that did little to help Andrea's defense because they fueled her own desire for punishment.
(16) Andrea's life was also distinguished by religious obsession and a steadfast devotion to tales of sin and Scripture, (17) a "repent-or-burn zeal" (18) that led her to believe she was a bad mother with ruined offspring. They could testify that Andrea had been tormented by bouts of mental illness, (15) and, in fact, both the prosecution and defense agreed that she was mentally ill. To those closest to Andrea, this self-blaming reaction came as no surprise. (14) She seemed to be awaiting punishment for her sins. (12) Andrea insisted there was nothing wrong with her mind (13) and that she deserved to die. (9) After a jury found Andrea competent to stand trial, (10) she resented the efforts that her attorneys mounted on her behalf (11) even as she faced possible execution. (7) Such defense plans were already encumbered by the unusually strict Texas insanity standard (8) and the state's renowned retributive culture. Yet, news accounts and court records suggest that Andrea impaired her attorneys' efforts to plead insanity. Some may think that a mentally ill mother who committed such an act should be judged insane. (4) Months later, she was convicted of capital murder in Harris County, Texas, (5) where she now serves a life sentence. (3) Then on June 20, 2001, in less than an hour, Andrea drowned all of her children in the bathtub, one by one. (1) Over the next seven years, Andrea (2) gave birth to five children and suffered one miscarriage, all the while plunging deeper into mental illness. Andrea Yates, high school valedictorian, swim team champion, college graduate, and registered nurse married Russell ("Rusty") Yates in 1993 after a four-year courtship. We all know by now the story of Andrea Yates.
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