Posted on 06/14/2002 5:23:51 PM PDT by MVV
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."
Rosenthal was unavailable for additional comment.
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.
"As I've said before, she needs treatment, not punishment," Russell Yates said.
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.
Your thoughts and comments, please!
Yes, I'm being sarcastic. We have a good DA here, and if he says he can't prosecute, then he can't prosecute, but nothing can convince me that Yates isn't culpable.
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 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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