Posted on 12/10/2001 12:12:44 PM PST by RooRoobird14
HOUSTON -- A man whose wife is accused of drowning their five children in a bathtub doesn't believe he violated a gag order by speaking about her medical condition on national television.
Russell Yates spoke in detail about his wife Andrea Yates' severe depression during an interview with "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday night on CBS.
He told the Houston Chronicle in Monday's editions that he had a legal opinion that cleared the way for him to publicly speak about his children and treatment of his wife in the months before the children were killed.
"I respect the court's order, and I tried to follow it," Yates said. "Otherwise, I would have said more."
Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal also appeared on the show and discussed why he thought seeking the death penalty is appropriate for Andrea Yates.
Both Yates and Rosenthal could face up to six months in jail and up to a $500 fine for contempt of court by granting the interviews.
State District Judge Belinda Hill imposed the gag order on June 26, forbidding witnesses from talking to the media.
Andrea Yates is charged with capital murder in the June 20 deaths of three of the five children. Yates has pleaded innocent by reason of insanity. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Jan. 7. If convicted, she could be sentenced to death.
On the program, Russell Yates said he blames doctors and hospitals for not properly treating his wife.
"I don't blame her a bit," Yates said. "If she received the medical treatment that she deserved, then the kids would be alive and well. And Andrea would be well on her way to recovery."
Andrea Yates was treated off and on for depression and two suicide attempts after the birth of her fourth child. After the birth of their fifth child, her condition seemed to worsen, her husband said.
She was last admitted to the Devereux Texas Treatment Network in May after she filled up the bathtub but refused to tell anyone why.
She was discharged, Russell Yates said, even though her medical chart indicated she still exhibited paranoid thought patterns and impaired judgment.
"I mean there's not, there's absolutely no reason she should have been let out of that hospital," Yates said on the program. "It was just incomprehensible."
He said he had hoped his wife would be readmitted for treatment during her last visit with Dr. Mohammad Saeed.
"I didn't actually come out and say it. But yeah, we were desperate. She was so sick. And I was at my wits' end," Yates said. He said Saeed ended the meeting "by giving her a pep talk," telling her to "think positive thoughts, not negative thoughts."
Andrea Yates was treated off and on for depression and two suicide attempts after the birth of her fourth child. After the birth of their fifth child, her condition seemed to worsen, her husband said.
She was suicidal and psychotic after the fourth baby, and they went on to have a fifth baby. And Russell Yates stood by and said, "Birth control is not an option!!! Whatever happens is God's will!"
This man leaves me speechless and shaking my head in disgust/amazement.
But that stupid earring dangling from Ed Bradley(?)'s left ear somehow bugged the heck out of me for the entire interview.
This man did violate a gag order, he is an idiot to protect his wife, and he needs to be put in jail because he is protecting a murderer and not the children who now are dead.
It's all about me me me me me mentality, never giving justice for the children who died in attrocious ways. I advocate killing his b!tch by drowning her in water while he watches.
If you don't mind, I'd like to see the article where he's quoted as saying that.
As well, and as always, it takes two to tango. Either his wife was willing to go along with it, or she wasn't. If she was willing to go along with that decision, then she's as much at fault as he is. If she wasn't willing to go along with that decision, then shouldn't he be brought up on rape charges?
He said this on 60 Minutes?
I believe he is completely responsible for the deaths of his children and the despair brought upon his wife. She was a decent person during the marriage to have complied with those demands...or she was not mentally competent enough to make the right decisions for herself and her children. He is guilty and should be on trial.
Does anyone besides me find his whole demeanor chilling and creepy? He seems so controlled.
This does not excuse what she did. Nothing does. But did 60 minutes miss the boat on the husband's head problems? Or, do they know about it and had another agenda? We will see, maybe.....
WHAT gives??? All FIVE children are dead at the hands of the SAME woman!!! What is the world are they other 2 deaths considered???
What also bugs me is how calm this man is. His children were murdered and he is so calm! And he still resides in the same house!
Yeah. She wanted to kill her kids. And, she ran them down and held them under the water as they struggled to get free until they went limp after their lungs filled with water and the oxygen supply to their brain stopped. And you, oh big-hearted one, want to force me and other taxpayers to keep her alive in a state-hospital or prison for the rest of her life?
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