You're parsing.
So what if crazy mean husband kills his wife's sister in law....is she the "public"?
This sorta relates criminally to folks who raise negligently bad kids who go out and rob and murder in the your mall parking lot.
Are they criminally responsible for their thug child?
No, not if he kills a soccer mom but yes if he kills a sibling.
Is that what you're saying?
Again...folks...particularly women here look to put responsibility for her (Yates) evil actions on her husband. Soft bigotry.
Not that he doesn't deserve some blame...sure he does...but she drowned them...as hard as that is to accept...that a mom would murder her 5 children....brutally