Prosecutors 'Seriously Considering' Case Against Russell Yates (Negligent Homicide)

ABC News ^ | March 16, 2002 SGT | Elenn Davis and Mike von Fremd

[codebreaker]

Prosecutors will weigh a number of factors that may lead them to prosecute Andrea Yates husband Russell for either child endangerment or negligent homicide. ABC News has learned.

No decision has been made, but it is being seriously considered, sources said. Prosecutors would charge Russell Yates if an when the evidence warrants, but do not have the evidence now, sources said.

Andrea Yates 37, was convicted Tuesday of two capital murder charges filed in the killings of her children last June.

[GB]

Russell Yates should've challenged that doctor, and if he really was serious about getting his wife back on the meds, he should've found another doctor, ASAP, regardless of what it took or cost.

[cake_crumb]

"... after all, he IS an evil white guy ..."

Yep. All the folks from NOW and POW and whatever, who expressed sympathy for a woman who was quietly driven crazy due to being locked up at home with her kids, will try to CRUCIFY the man for this.

I do believe he was negligent, though.

[rintense]

I agree that the Andrea Yates verdict was correct. But I also strongly believe, after listening to Rusty's idiotic comments yesterday after the sentencing, that he should be fully charged with criminal neglect. He has already made statements that contradict each other as to whether he was told not to have more kids. As far as I'm concerned, both Andrea and Russell Yates failed to provide safety for their children- one is paying for her crime, so should the other.

[ellery]

To the contrary -- I think holding Russell Yates partly responsible for not handling a deteriorating situation appropriately just reinforces the idea that a two-parent family is best. If one parent is having trouble, for whatever reason, it's the other parent's job to step in and protect the children. As an adult, Andrea must be held responsible for her own actions, however mentally ill she is. But Russell has to be held responsible for not taking his children out of what was clearly a very dangerous situation.

[golfGodd]

They count on sheep like you see on this thread to buy their b.s.....But I don't expect many to understand this. It takes a bit of thinking beyond the headlines and the empty emotionalism that dominates much of the debate.

Amazing insight,Zviadist. It's your world and we're just living in it, right? Your comments sound elitist and emotional.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

Absolutely correct- and it's not just in hindsight that we can see this. It should have been absolutely clear to anyone with normal intelligence that he was placing these children in danger (I won't go into the mother's history- but multiple suicide attempts are one indicator of future violence). I'm sure that he was aware of many things about her behavior and apparently bizarre belief system that even her doctors were not familiar with, let alone the public.

If he had left a DOG alone with this woman under these circumstances, Animal Control would be after him for abuse.

By the way, I REALLY didn't like his inappropriate smiling and joking after the sentencing- I think this guy has more than one loose screw...

[cajungirl]

Oh cmon now,,,five kids are dead. This is not an attack on their lifestyle. It is an attack on their negligence and murder. Noone is suggesting homeschooling was anything otheer than a crazy thing to do when the homeschooling mother is a whack job in and out of hospitals and psychotic to boot.

[nicmarlo]

As far as I'm concerned, both Andrea and Russell Yates failed to provide safety for their children- one is paying for her crime, so should the other.

I agree with you rintense.....I could only hear a part of his comments yesterday while at work....but I can't imagine this man is innocent of knowledge about his wife's condition, thoughts, behavior, and potential danger to his children......I say, investigate him....and if he did contribute towards his children's death (by withholding from them a safe environment in which to live), then he should also accept the consequences for his decisions/choices, or lacke thereof, which lead to the deaths of all those babies.

[DLfromthedesert]

Excuse me, but you're generalizing. This is ONE family where the man should have taken MORE responsibility to make sure his sick wife did NOT become pregnant. He is a macho sicko, not the traditional father who takes care to PROTECT his family.

[jude24]

I remember hearing Haldol, don't remember the other ones.

what, pray tell, is the pharmacological implication of the sugar???

[antaresequity]

Russell Yates:

"She's the kindest and most caring person I know."

"I'll always support Andrea. I believe in Andrea," he said.

"loved their mommy. I know they don't hold this against her."

"She was a wonderful mother,"

"I think anyone who has a mental illness [and] who watched that should be offended,"

"She's a victim here, not only of the medical community but the justice system,"

None of us wanted her to be found guilty. In fact, most of us are offended that she was even prosecuted.

"How could she have been so ill and the medical community not diagnose her, not treat her and, I'll say, not protect our family from her,"

"I saw this terrible tragedy of my family," Yates said. "And then I see poor Andrea in this terrible medical state. And then the state comes forward and charges her with capital murder. And I couldn't believe it."

Yates said if he could change one thing he did, he would have taken his wife to a different hospital and a different doctor

[A. Pole]

Putting this guy in a prison where he'd become someone's b$#ch would be the ultimate in justice.

Are you a homosexual?

[Righter-than-Rush]

People, we all know that hers were the only two hands to drown the children... by her own confession. Also, by her own words, he is a good father and a good husband.

By the politically-correct reactions posted here, in an attempt to name another perpetrator in the father, I ask you to look at the reactions in cases where it was the husband that flew off the handle and shot or otherwise wiped out a family. Are you going to try and tell me you would feel the same about her careless handling of a medicated husband? Yea right! About that swampland...

[ward_of_the_state]

you people kill me....opinions out the wazooo...so let me ask this of you brainiacs.....name the 3 drugs she was taking and their results if stopped and what does sugar do to the mix? when you all can ACCURATELY answer,you will all be humbled as to what REALLY HAPPENED.....I hold my head in shame as to you all.....

WHAT?!

[father_elijah]

Being away from the mayhem of American media, I only learned about this case via the internet.

I think this "case" against Russell Yates will come to nothing, but then I don't know if the prosecutors are looking for a promotion or are running for office. And you never know which lawyer wants to become a star.

On another note, dealing with a mentally ill family member is extremely difficult. It is almost impossible "to do the right thing" and most of the time you have no way of knowing what the right thing is. Living with a mentally ill loved one -- even when they are on meds -- can be psychologically exhausting for the mentally healthy members of the family.

I do agree that the medical care Andrea Yates received was dreadful. Effexor is a horrible drug, and the cocktail of meds she was on shows a genuine lack of quality in her psychiatric care.

[Righter-than-Rush]

>>Yates said if he could change one thing he did, he would have taken his wife to a different hospital and a different doctor..."

Their HMO would not allow that.

[GB]

Has anyone seen any stories about how really connected with and engaged in the family unit Russell Yates was? I mean, it's good to say, "traditional family, Dad works, Mom stays home and takes care of and teaches the kids." That's wonderful. I wish mine was more like that. But the thing is, if Dad isn't engaged in what's going on, then it can be IMHO as lousy as any deviant, non-traditional setup you can toss out. Because I don't know about you guys, but I think there's more to being a father and head of the family unit than just being the provider and bringing in a paycheck and supporting your family so the wife doesn't have to work.

[antaresequity]

Russell Yates is a sick and dispicable creature. His externalization of his problems is pathetic.

And the Media has eagerly prostituted the entire issue once again.

[Righter-than-Rush]

>>I do agree that the medical care Andrea Yates received was dreadful. Effexor is a horrible drug, and the cocktail of meds she was on shows a genuine lack of quality in her psychiatric care.>>

What more would you expect from an HMO?

[Wild Irish Rogue]

On MSNBC, a little while ago, they spoke with a reporter who had interviewed the Father of the Year,on numerous occasions. He told the reporter that he had tried to figure out ways to impregnate Mommy Dearest during her incarceration and after her acquittal, so they could have more children. He says he abandoned the idea when he remembered she would go through menopause and become crazy again. He used Andrea as a brood mare and his dead children as his ticket to fame. He seems so incredibly dumb-no wonder NASA has had so many mission scrubs.