Andrea Yates' latest trial scheduled to start Jan. 9
12/22/2005
A new trial has been ordered for Andrea Yates, the Clear Lake mother who drowned her five children in the bathtub at her home on Beachcomber Street.
As her trial takes place, Yates will be held in a state mental hospital instead of the East Texas prison where she is currently an inmate. Her initial hearing will take place on Jan. 9.
Yates' convictions were overturned in January 2003, after a judge determined that testimony from medical expert was false.
Park Dietz, a forensic psychologist, testified that a "Law and Order" episode depicting a woman who drowned her children and was later found innocent by reason of insanity was aired shortly before Yates drowned her own children.
Officials later discovered that such an episode did not exist.
On June 20, 2001, Yates drowned her children one by one, placing their bodies on the bed before calling police.
Upon arrival at the home, a police officer found the bodies of John, 5, Paul, 3, Luke, 2, and their 6-month-old sister, Mary. Another officer found the body of the oldest, 7-year-old Noah, floating in the bathtub.
Yates' husband, Russell Yates, came home from his job at the Johnson Space Center when his wife called, saying that he needed to come home because someone was hurt.
A jury found Yates guilty of capital murder for the deaths of Noah, John and Mary, though many, including her husband, felt she should have been found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Many felt that by calling the Houston police, Yates demonstrated that she knew right from wrong and was not legally insane.
Before the conviction was overturned, Yates was serving a life sentence with no possibility for parole for the next four decades.
©Houston Community Newspapers Online 2005