**DA plans no more Yates prosecutions**

The Harris County District Attorney announced today that his office plans no more prosecutions in the drowning deaths of Andrea Pia Yates' five children last year.

"After a careful review of the facts, and the applicable law, it is the position of this office that there is insufficient evidence to pursue charges against any other individuals in connection with the June 2001 drownings of Noah, John, Paul, Luke and Mary Yates," DA Chuck Rosenthal said.

"As in all cases, we remain open to the possibility that additional evidence may surface that would change this decision. There is no statute of limitations for the offense of murder in Texas."

Andrea Yates is serving a life sentence in prison after being convicted of capital murder charges March 12 in the deaths of three of her five children. Yates systematically drowned the children June 20 in the bathtub of the family's Clear Lake home.

Rosenthal announced after Yates' sentencing March 15 that he had assigned a staff member to look into the possibility of more charges in the case. Although Rosenthal did not specify what charges might have been considered, speculation focused on possible child-neglect or endangerment charges against Yates' husband, Russell Yates.

Told by the Chronicle this afternoon of Rosenthal's decision, Russell Yates said, "Obviously that's good news." But he said it did not alter his opinion that Rosenthal should never have charged or prosecuted Andrea Yates.

Andrea Yates' family filed a complaint in April against the psychiatrist treating her when she drowned her children.

The complaint alleged that Dr. Mohammed Saeed, the former medical director at Devereux Texas Treatment Network in League City, did not properly manage her medication and released her from the hospital while she was dangerously delusional.

"We feel that Dr. Saeed's actions of excessive, harmful treatment, and his lack of action to warn about the endangerment of the children, made him negligent in his duty to protect the children," said the complaint, signed by Yates' brothers, Brian and Andrew Kennedy, and her mother, Jutta Karin Kennedy.

Before you go off half-cocked on this guy, consider the following:
1 - court testimony is only PART of the story
2 - Rusty testified for the defense (allowed himself to be cast in a bad light)
3 - Andrea had enough on the ball to graduate valedictorian
4 - Andrea had enough on the ball to get a nursing degree
5 - Andrea enough on the ball to get a professional job
6 - Women have raised families in worse conditions (e.g., mud huts, etc.)
7 - Andrea agreed to some, if not all, of her living conditions
8 - Randy apparently discussed this all upfront with her.
9 - Andrea's psych conditions were triggered by childbirth.
10 - Randy got her psych help and pharmaceutical help.
11 - Randy arranged for in-home assistance for her.
12 - Andrea Yates' mother told jurors her daughter was a "wonderful mother."
13 - Andrea Yates' mother told jurors "She was always protecting them."
14 - Andrea was taken off her meds just 2 weeks before she blew.
15 - There were conflicting professional opinions on her condition.
16 - Dr. Saeed wrote that she had no symptoms of psychosis two days before.
17 - Yet Andrea said she had planned the killings for three months.

In a sick home, what is "truth" is very hard to determine. Just because
someone said something that in hindsight turns out to be prescient doesn't
mean that it was obviously a call for action. I'm not excusing ol' Rusty,
by any means. I don't know the whole of the situation yet. But I can
imagine scenarios where it all made 'sense'.

. speculation focused on possible child-neglect or endangerment charges against Yates' husband, Russell Yates.

I find it a bit outrageous that the prosecutors would even entertain the possibility of bringing neglect charges against her husband. After all, if she was sane (as they argued in court & as the jury found) - what could he have done wrong by leaving the kids with her??

There is no way this woman was sane . . .

There is also no way Russell Yates wasn't criminally negligent. It doesn't require being a rocket scientist to recognize the warning signs . . .

My opinion.

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