**Andrea Yates Sentence**Live Thread**Ruling @ 2:45 ET**

3-15-02

[yoe]

This woman IMHO did not deserve to live out her life in the seclusion she has sought at the taxpayer's expense. She was deliberate in her successful efforts to kill her children trying to prove to her husband, doctor and minister she needed help.

I am sorry she was not given the death penalty and with it the peace she seeks. Five dead children should have made the DP a must; she is beyond earthly help.

[let freedom sing]

Don't forget what it would've cost Texico, if they'd prevented the "accident" in the first place. Next, AY could be taken care of for much less-- permanent committment to a State Hospital or Min. Security Facility-- Texico's choice to put her in prison.

[CheneyChick]

I'm sorry, but this man is a moron. Where is his loyalty to his children?

[mystery-ak]

he's suing the medical community....
now he'll be a millionaire!

[KC_Conspirator]

Of course not silly! That is not the point. Men and women are not the same, yet our legal system says that we have to treat each other the same.

[Bonaparte]

"I predict her husband divorces her in the next 3 years and remarries."

He won't have to divorce her. He has ample grounds for annulment, ie. insanity and no prospect of producing children for him. The law on this varies somewhat between states, but there's no question that he can rid himself of her in this manner.

[Justa]

"She's run out of children to kill... Voila....does not constitute a danger."

Huh?

If she'd do that to her own children WTF do you think she'd do to you or me?

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Russie-boy Yates is on the TV talking about how wonderful his skiffy wife is and how she is such a victim. He hasn't mentioned his kids once. It goes to show where he stands. He should be in jail, too.

[Atticus]

As someone experienced in capital litigation, I can tell this sentence is not surprising. There just was not much evidence showing a continuing threat to society and the defense put on a good mitigating circumstances case. All along, I felt that the insanity defense was simply an early attempt to plant the seeds of mitigation evidence in the jury's head.

I would ask the jury: Would you feel safe sleeping in the same prison cell as Andrea Yates? Would you ever turn your back on her for an instant? This woman used a bathtub to murder five children. A pillow is a lethal weapon in her hands.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

If she'd do that to her own children WTF do you think she'd do to you or me?

The argument that there is no one left for her to kill has always defied logic. I agree that there are few people more dangerous in society than killer moms.

[constans]

Hmm... my opinion: had the jury called for the death sentence, Texas would have been faced with a push to change both its insanity laws and death penalty laws. The woman was on serious anti-psychotic medication and then abruptly taken off of them shortly before the murders. With this decision by the jury, there won't be any state-wide calls for any changes in laws, and the status quo will remain because those unhappy with the verdict and punishment will figure that the system works "well enough."

During the trial, apparently the prosecution claimed that she planned the murders and planned to use the insanity defense ahead of time after watching an episode of "Law & Order." However, it turned out after the trial that this particular episode never aired. There was a claim that this slip-up by the prosecution made their call for capital punishment less credible in the punishment phase.

Those court-junkies who are disappointed on missing out on the death-penalty appeals can, at least, look forward to a possible prosecution of the father, malpractice suits against the psychiatrist, etc.

[contessa machiaveli]

rusty has mentioned the issue of "companionship". i'd say he's out of there very fast. he's also blaming the doctors and not taking ANY personal responsibility. he's dumb as a wall.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Depression that is not treated can lead to schitzophrenia(sp), dementia, etc.

I'm not a psychiatrist, but I don't think that's right. Schizophrenia is a specific disease caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. I don't think you can get it because you weren't treated for something else.

[clintonh8r]

I'm just glad she was convicted. Either sentence was OK with me.

Legal experts: Since there was no death sentence, is there still an automatic appeal?

[GB]

I said this before ... Russell Yates isn't playing with a 52-card deck himself.

And about the five children ... it's a sad statement that their sperm donor (I refuse to call him a father), their grandma, their egg-donor's lawyers (I refuse to call her a mother) seem to be ignoring them, like they're dead and gone and buried, can't put spilled milk back into the carton, let's move on. It's all Andrea, Andrea, Andrea, all about her needs, desires, what's best for her, etc. Sickening.

Still, even though I favored the needle for her, I'm not going to yell too much about this sentence. I think justice was probably done, in that this miserable wretch stands convicted as the murderer she is ... but she's also obviously crazy as a google of bedbugs.

She'll never leave prison alive. She'll either die there at the end of her natural life span because she'll never get parole for this crime ... or if she comes into contact with the general population for one millisecond, she's likely to suffer the same fate that child killers/molesters suffer in men's prisons (shiv between the ribs) ... or if she takes enough drugs to make her lucid, she'll finally be hit by what she's done and will do something that'll save the taxpayers of Texas a lot of money.

[mystery-ak]

someone shut this SOB up!
He's suing....its everybody else's fault....Hey, Russ, what are the names of your 5 babies?

[let freedom sing]

Gag order-- GO FOR IT RUSTY-- You've got to convince the public that you didn't abuse Andrea and the kids. Now he's talking.

[stands2reason]

You do not know much about Texas law, do you?

[Justa]

"... he's dumb as a wall."

Not so fast. Imo he's manuevering to set-up the malpractice suit(s).

[mystery-ak]

sounds like he's going after is HMO...