Andrea Yates-Not guilty due to insanity

[TheDoctor]

Yeah. The jury reached the right verdict.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Yeah. The jury reached the right verdict.

I cannot tell the tone of your post I think you are saying that it is the correct verdict but is the Yeah a sarcastic Yeah or as in yes they are right? Sorry it is so hard to read the intention when people write.
I think it is the right verdict too.

 

[KelNottAt]

I don't think any sane mother could be capable of such a heinous crime.

 

[DawnCt1]

I agree with the verdict. Just because she may be lucid and "sane" while in court, doesn't mean that she was lucid and sane while the crime was being committed. Clearly she responds well to medication and has to live with the gravity of the deed she committed. That will always be her own personal, living hell. I do feel sorry for her.

 

[Feralpeg]

Good news. This renews my faith in the legal system to some extent.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Sorry, but who is she and what did she do?

 

[lulugirl]

I agree with the verdict. Just because she may be lucid and "sane" while in court, doesn't mean that she was lucid and sane while the crime was being committed. Clearly she responds well to medication and has to live with the gravity of the deed she committed. That will always be her own personal, living hell. I do feel sorry for her.

I could not agree more.

 

[Chicago526]

I think that's the right verdict. The woman was just plain insane, no two ways about it. And it's not like she'll get to walk away free, she'll be in a mental institution the rest of her life. From what I understand, when she's medicated and realizes what she's done, she's suicidal from guilt. When not medicated, her depression makes her suicidal. You know, there are things that are worse than death...

 

[sajetto]

Sorry, but who is she and what did she do?

She systematically drowned 5 of her children in the bathtub while suffering from what she said what post partum depression

 

[pperfectmom]

Hell yes she's crazy. I never doubted that for a minute. But then, so was Jeffry Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Jim Jones, Charles Manson(yes, I know he never actually killed anybody), etc.

 

[Chicago526]

Sorry, but who is she and what did she do?

She killed her 5 children by drowning them in a bathtub. She was suffering from sever post-partum depresion among other mental issues. She was convinced the devil was going to corupt her children and they'd spend eternity in hell, so she thought that if they died before that happened, they'd spend eternity in heaven with God, and only she would go to hell.

It's been a huge controversy, because many believe that while she was sick, it didn't rise to the level of being insane that the law requires to be not guilty.

 

[VSL]

Still don't really know what to make of the whole thing. I mean, I really don't believe that anyone is totally 'well and healthy' (or sane) when committing any type of homocide. It's abnormal behaviour.

I'm really into Jack the Ripper at the moment though (and Sweeney Todd).

 

[cindi]

I disagree.

She knew enough to chase her child around the house as he was running to get away. She knew exactly what she was doing. And I'm so tired of people killing and then pleading insanity to get off. Shame on our legal system. And shame on the people that didn't follow the proper rules and allowed the first verdict, the correct one in my opinion to be changed.

 

[TheDoctor]

I cannot tell the tone of your post I think you are saying that it is the correct verdict but is the Yeah a sarcastic Yeah or as in yes they are right? Sorry it is so hard to read the intention when people write.
I think it is the right verdict too.

This was clearly the correct verdict. The law was stacked against Andrea Yates and I was afraid that the jury would make the same mistake made last time. This is great news.

One of the key things is that this jury was not death penalty qualified because the death penalty was not avalilable due to the prior jury verdict. However, the state can still try Andrea Yates on the other two kids who were killed and seek the death penalty in that case. Juries that are willing to give the death penalty are also far more likely to reject defenses such as the insanity defense.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

I think she is guilty as hell. She chased her boys down to drown them according to the information that I have read pertaining to this case. I have given birth to 2 children, and fortunately never suffered from Post partum depression. However, I know from all the books I read and having 2 friends who have suffered from it, they were very aware when their thinking was not right. They had the good sense to get help and have the kids put with friends and family while they sought treatment. I think she should have been found guilty and placed in jail, and receive treatment for her depression. I think they used depression as a cop out. I have multiple family members who suffer from bi-polar disorder and they always use their illness as their crutch if necessary. I don't think that people should use mental illness as an excuse. If you need help then get it, and get some talk therapy too. Everyone can benefit from talk therapy. I also think her husband should have been held accountable in this as well. He went off to work everyday, leaving her with all those children knowing full well that she was not of sound mind. That was negligent, and for that he holds some accountability. I know I will get flamed big time for this, but it is only my opinion.

 

[Deb in IA]

They had the good sense to get help and have the kids put with friends and family while they sought treatment.

This is a key point. Your friends had it, but Andrea Yates did not.

 

[sajetto]

I also think her husband should have been held accountable in this as well. He went off to work everyday, leaving her with all those children knowing full well that she was not of sound mind. That was negligent, and for that he holds some accountability. I know I will get flamed big time for this, but it is only my opinion.

You'll get no flames from me. I think someone should have woken up to smell the coffee here.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

This is a key point. Your friends had it, but Andrea Yates did not.

You cannot tell me that she thought her ideas of drowning her children in a bathtub were normal. This is not a dumb woman who did not know better. I think we are all forgetting that she is an intelligent woman here. I don't care whether she had sense to get help or not, thinking that drowning your children in a bathtub is not normal at least not on this planet. I am sorry I think we are all giving her mental illness too too too much credit. She needs to have some accountability in this.

 

[Chicago526]

You cannot tell me that she thought her ideas of drowning her children in a bathtub were normal. This is not a dumb woman who did not know better. I think we are all forgetting that she is an intelligent woman here. I don't care whether she had sense to get help or not, thinking that drowning your children in a bathtub is not normal at least not on this planet. I am sorry I think we are all giving her mental illness too too too much credit. She needs to have some accountability in this.

But that's just what insanity IS. Thinking that abnormal behaviors/actions/thoughts are totaly normal. She thought she was saving her children from an eternity in hell by sending them to heaven. That's crazy to you and I, but to her, it was the most resonable thing in the world.

And she was under a doctors care for the PPD, in fact the doc told her husband she shouldn't have more kids because of it and her other mental issues, and he knocked her up again anyway. She had attempted suicide twice in the 12 months prior to the killings. This was not a sane woman.

 

[4cruisin]

You cannot tell me that she thought her ideas of drowning her children in a bathtub were normal. This is not a dumb woman who did not know better. I think we are all forgetting that she is an intelligent woman here. I don't care whether she had sense to get help or not, thinking that drowning your children in a bathtub is not normal at least not on this planet. I am sorry I think we are all giving her mental illness too too too much credit. She needs to have some accountability in this.

I don't think any of us can really understand Andrea Yates train of thought because she was psychotic when she killed her children. See, sane people would rationalize that drowning your children was wrong. She did not have that ability.

As far as being held accountable for her actions, she is going to be locked up in a mental hospital. She will never be released. Being allowed to walk away would not be held accountable.

PS....psychosis - a mental disorder to which the personality is seriously disorganized and contact with reality is usually impaired. (courtesy of Websters)

Sounds like a text book case to me.