Yates Children
Andrea Yates drowned her five children in the bathtub during a severe psychotic episode. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity after an initial conviction was overturned.
On June 20, 2001, Andrea Yates systematically drowned all five of her children—Noah (7), John (5), Paul (3), Luke (2), and Mary (6 months)—in the bathtub of their Clear Lake City home in Houston, Texas, while her husband Rusty was at work.
Andrea then called 911 and told the operator 'I just killed my kids.' She had a long history of severe mental illness, including postpartum psychosis, and had been hospitalized multiple times. She believed Satan was inside her and that killing the children would save their souls.
She was convicted of capital murder in 2002, but the conviction was overturned in 2005 after a prosecution expert witness was found to have given false testimony. In a second trial in 2006, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
The case sparked national debate about postpartum mental illness, the insanity defense, and the responsibility of family members and medical professionals in preventing tragedy.
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