Member Since: 8/15/2003
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Verdict Reached In Andrea Yates Trial
A Harris County jury has found Andrea Yates not guilty by reason of insanity during her second capital murder trial for the drowning deaths of her children in the family's bathtub in 2001.
The verdict upholding Yates' insanity defense comes after the jury deliberated more than 12 hours over three dats. Yates appeared shocked and sat staring wide-eyed with her lips slightly parted as State District Judge Belinda Hill asked each juror individually shortly after noon today whether they agreed with the verdict.
The acquittal in Yates' second capital murder trial follows nearly a month's worth of exhaustive testimony, capped by four hours of emotional closing arguments Monday, during which Yates broke down in tears and her former husband, Russell Yates, abruptly left the courtroom.
The jury's verdict means Yates, 42, will be sent to a state mental hospital for treatment, rather than be sentenced to life in prison. "It's a miracle,'' Rusty Yates said afterward when asked his reaction.
Shortly before 10:30 this morning, the jury had sent a note requesting exhibits showing a family portrait and a photo of the children before their deaths.
Over the past two days, the jury appeared to focus on medical expert testimony from both prosecution and defense witnesses.
Tuesday, they asked to see video tapes mental-health experts made of their interviews with Yates after the killings as well as testimony from Park Dietz, a prosecution expert witness, about Yates' statements regarding Satan's presence.
It is unknown how long Yates will be hospitalized, but she will be subject to periodic reviews by state District Judge Belinda Hill's court.
The trial is the second time Yates has faced a jury. She was convicted in 2002 of the crime and sentenced to life in prison, but an appeals court last year threw out that conviction based on a forensic psychiatrist's erroneous testimony.
Yates, a former nurse and housewife with a history of psychiatric hospitalizations and suicide attempts, called police and led them to the bodies of her five children — Noah, 7, John, 5, Paul, 3, Luke, 2, and 6-month-old Mary — after drowning them in a bathtub at her Clear Lake home on June 20, 2001.
Defense attorneys had urged jurors to find that Yates' mental illness led to the children's deaths. Experts testifying for the defense said Yates drowned her children in an act of love to save their souls from eternal damnation.
Prosecutors did not dispute that Yates was mentally ill, but argued that her condition did not keep her from knowing right from wrong.
A death sentence could not be considered during her retrial since the first jury rejected that option four years ago.
Andrea Yates' mother was one of about 75 to 100 spectators who had filled the courtroom to hear the verdict. She quickly left the room, avoiding media and her former son son-in-law, who congratulated her.
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Actually, I'm not that surprised...
I think she does have some of her wires crossed, so a mental hospital is probably a better place to put her... than a jail cell.
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