How a Texas Mother Killed Her 5 Children and Got Away With It
One morning in Clear Lake, Texas, Andrea Yates fed her family breakfast, waited for her husband to leave for work, then drowned her 5 children in her bathtub.
THE DEVASTATING DISCOVERY
John Del Bosque, the paramedic responding to the horrific scene, walked into Yates's bedroom and witnessed 4 children lying on a bed, then noticed a trail of water, which led to the bathroom where he found the 5th child face down, bobbing in the water.
The entire country was shocked as Andrea Yates went to trial, but this case was unlike any other case prior. This would be a monumental case putting mental health at the forefront.
A MONUMENTAL CASE FOR MENTAL HEALTH
Yates had suffered from Postpartum depression, attempted suicide twice, and had been admitted to psychiatric hospitals twice before the horrific drownings. It was revealed that just 16 days before her crime, Yates's doctor had pulled her off of Haldol, a strong antipsychotic medication.
She was originally sentenced to life in prison, narrowly escaping a death sentence. However, in a shocking turn of events, the case was appealed and overturned after a false statement was unintentionally made during the trial. Soon, a second trial ensued in Houston, Texas.
LIVING OUT HER LIFE SENTENCE IN KERRVILLE
After about 13 hours of deliberations, Andrea Yates was acquitted of the Capital Murder of her 5 children. She was declared insane and sentenced to live out the rest of her life in Kerrville, Texas.