not guilty :(

[jk the sooner fan]

the jury in houston decides that andrea yates is not guilty by reason of insanity

what a tragedy.......

[slickdawg]

see, six rounds years ago, and we wouldn'r be having this day of disgust.

[OhU1]

See seemed pretty crazy to me. Harris County is not exactly liberal on the death penalty either.

[Sooner_Bob]

so depression is a form of insanity now?

[Penguin]

Do you honestly think she was in her right mind when she killed her kids?

[1stTimeCaller]

Do you honestly think she was in her right mind when she killed her kids?

is anyone in their right mind when they murder another person?

She chased her kids around the house and then methodically drowned them one at a time in the bath tub.

She f***ing chased her kids around the house, caught them, took them to the bathroom some probably kicking and screaming, and drowned them.

[jk the sooner fan]

Do you honestly think she was in her right mind when she killed her kids?

is anybody in their right mind when they commit murder?

the definition of insanity is whether she knew at the time that what she did was wrong.

the DA gave 60 instances and examples showing that she knew what she did was wrong, as well as a forensic psychiatrist that testified she wasnt "insane"

mental illness does not always equate to insanity

[Sooner_Bob]

Do you honestly think she was in her right mind when she killed her kids?

ummm no . . . but if being labeled as depressed now leads to a possible not guilty by reason of insanity verdict we're all screwed.

[Penguin]

She chased her kids around the house and then methodically drowned them one at a time in the bath tub.

She f***ing chased her kids around the house, caught them, took them to the bathroom some probably kicking and screaming, and drowned them.

From what I understand, she thought that she was saving their souls.


Sounds pretty kookoo to me.

[Sooner_Bob]

mental illness does not always equate to insanity

and this ladies and gents was my point . . .

[jk the sooner fan]

the problem, and i saw this in my previous job, is that 'normal' people have a hard time understanding "how could she do that"

and since they cant answer it, they equate that to "crazy"


its good that you cant "understand" how she could do that, it means your normal (for the most part) but it doesnt mean she's criminally insane

she'll get her final judgement day, of that i'm sure - thats the only one that matters

[jk the sooner fan]

From what I understand, she thought that she was saving their souls.


Sounds pretty kookoo to me.

and the forensic shrink said he didnt believe that, but that she just couldnt cope with being a bad mother

[Vaevictis]

is anyone in their right mind when they murder another person?

Actually, yes, lots of people are. They may be bad, bad people, but that doesn't mean they're insane.

She chased her kids around the house and then methodically drowned them one at a time in the bath tub.

She f***ing chased her kids around the house, caught them, took them to the bathroom some probably kicking and screaming, and drowned them.

I know a few people with schitzophrenia; while in one of their "episodes", they can be violent, but once their doctors find the right treatment, they are perfectly normal, well adjusted decent people.

Do you toss someone in jail, or execute them just because they have the misfortune of having a biological chemical imbalance?

I don't know if Yates herself was really insane at the time, but I do know that it's not reasonable to hold a truly insane person responsible for their actions like you would a sane person.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Best outcome I can think of!! She is mentally ill, had been shuttled between treatment options due to insurance coverage (or lack of), The husband may not have been the best person, but he did appear to provide the best treatment for her he could. Insurance limitations on mental health treatment was problematic. Now she will get the treatment she needs, rather than the spotty treatment she would have been given in prison.

Sad for the little children, but after living through a similar experience with an Aunt, I truly believe she was not mentally fully aware and should get treatment not prison. The real meaning is she will most likely be locked away for a very long time and have to deal with what she did.

[Penguin]

ummm no . . . but if being labeled as depressed now leads to a possible not guilty by reason of insanity verdict we're all screwed.

Thanks for the opinion, Mr. Cruise.

[Penguin]

and the forensic shrink said he didnt believe that, but that she just couldnt cope with being a bad mother

I know 12 people in downtown Houston who disagree.

[GrapevineSooner]

You can be mentally ill, but still be able to tell right from wrong.

I think Andrea Yates knew what she was doing was wrong.

[etouffee]

of course she did. there was ample evidence to demonstrate she knew what she did was wrong at the time she did it.

[OhU1]

Whether the jury was correct or not they found that she did not understand the nature of the act she was committing. That she lacked the mental capacity to commit the crime charged. That is way beyond the standard of merely being mentally ill. To convince me of such a mental state you would have to show me that the killer literally didn't know they were doing anything wrong. That they took no steps to conceal the act or escape detection. For example the killer is found having a tea party with his victims on the front porch in the middle of the day waving at passing cars.

[Sooner in Tampa]

Another victory for the treehugging, lovey dovey liberals in this country who hate the death penalty.