Yates formerly known as Andrea Pia Kennedy was born on July 2, 1964, in Houston, Texas. After delivering her youngest child, she developed post-partum depressions. She was publically recognized on June 20, 2001, when she drowned her five children in the bathtub. Yates was, “found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life, a court of appeals reversed the conviction and found her insane,” (Montaldo, 2006).
The now publicized case about Andrew Yates brings out previous medical issues of psychiatric problems that she dealt with before the death of her children earlier in life. The distinctions of the state's era has long forgotten law was not enough for Yates' defense lawyers. They tried to prove she was legally insane based on her attempted suicides and the fact she was hospitalized multiple times for severe psychosis as stated in her medical records prior to the drowning On June 16, 1999, Andrea’s first attempt at suicide is where she called Rusty begging him to come home. When her husband arrived home he found her trembling spontaneously and chewing on her fingers. That very next day, she was hospitalized after she tried to commit suicide by taking an overdose of pills, where she was transferred to the Methodist Hospital psychiatric unit and diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Medical staff described Andrea as elusive in discussing her problems. However, on June 24 she was prescribed an antidepressant and released. Although Andrea's motives may have been mistaken, the conception of whether she was able to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil while committing a crime, yet, jurors had little choice but to reject her plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and convict her (NEWS, 2005).
Yates in high school was an outstanding student, class valedictorian, captain of the swim team and an officer in the National Honor Society. Completing a two-year pre-nursing program at the University of Houston and graduating in 1986 from the University Of Texas School Of Nursing. Working as a registered nurse at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center from 1986 until 1994. Then marring Rusty Yates in 1993, who was a follower of preacher Michael Peter Woroniecki. Throughout Mr. Woroniecki’s sermons, videos and personal telephone calls, he condemned the Yates' for their untrustworthy Christian lifestyle, saying their children were fated to hell because of their parent’s sins. Mr. Woronieckis also gives a sermon that married couples should have as many children as possible.
Yates being treated in 1999 for postpartum depression and psychosis; in which both were illnesses that ran in her family. Subsequently after the birth of her fifth child and also after the death of her father, Yates suffered severe depression and was forcefully admitted to Devereux-Texas Treatment Network. While being hospitalized, Dr. Mohammed Saeed prescribed a series of psychotropic drug treatments. Unexpectedly Dr. Mohammed decreased the antipsychotic Haldol, in which medication was given to Andrea Yates to help recover in 1999. On June 20, 2001, “in between Yate’s husband leaving for work and mother-in-law arriving, Andrea Yates drowned all five of her children in her homes bathtub,” (Walsh, 2002).
Throughout Andrea Yate’s trial, Russell Yates stood by his wife, maintaining that it was her illness in which caused such a tragic accident and not his wife Andrea that had killed the children. Andrea Yates pleaded innocence by reason of insanity that