And now, about Russell Yates . . .

SF Chronicle ^ | 3-19-02 | Debora J. Saunders

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Hey, I'm ready to start a Russell Yates Vasectomy Fund. On Friday, a jury decided that Yates' wife Andrea, 37, will serve a life sentence in prison for drowning the couple's five children, Noah, John, Paul, Luke and baby Mary. She won't be eligible for parole until 2041.

[lsee]

they kept sending her home broken...

Yeah, 'cause they kept sending her back home with Russell...Even though Andrea is ultimately to be held accountable for her own actions, I believe there was a great deal of despair and rage directed toward Russell in her actions. He seems self-centered to the point of mental illness...he seems to totally lack empathy.

[AppyPappy]

They are airing him because the new feminist spin is that Russell killed those kids. Andrea couldn't do it because she was sick. And he's the man and the man is always to blame.

Why else would they put him on TV?

[AppyPappy]

He seems self-centered to the point of mental illness...he seems to totally lack empathy.

yes but that's not a crime. Killing your kids is a crime. She could have left at any time.

[MaggieMay]

He'a using his 15 min of fame, to justify his lawsuits. The networks are hoping to capitize on people turning in,with mind numbed fasination, like moth's to the flame.

[carmody]

I have wondered for a while if Russell somehow "suggested" to his wife that she kill the children. If he thought Andrea was broken, it's very possible he thought the children were broken as well. She already was obedient to him. Is it possible he wanted her to kill the children so that he could start over ... with a new wife, new children? And he, through subtle suggestion, encouraged her to take this action. That scenario would not surprise me.

[scholar]

If this POS has the time to do the talk show circuit, it seems to me he should have found the time to stay home and care for his wife and children. This tragedy would never occurred had he accepted his responsibility as a husband and father.

[Ward Smythe]

They are airing him because the new feminist spin is that Russell killed those kids.

You know, we went around some of this yesterday and I kept getting bounced back and forth. Then someone reminded me that he said she called him and said "I did it."

His question, "which one?" She answered "All of them."

The fact that he would ask "which one?" is a clear indication that he knew it wasn't safe to leave her alone with the kids for one minute, much less one hour.

When I commented on how we haven't seen his grief, his rage, someone yesterday said "we don't know what he's like when the camera isn't running."

Of course not, it hasn't stopped running.

[muggs]

If there's going to be any more killing, I hope the next woman goes after him and not the kids.

[barker]

I have wondered for a while if Russell somehow "suggested" to his wife that she kill the children. If he thought Andrea was broken, it's very possible he thought the children were broken as well.

I've wondered the same thing at times. When she called him to come home she told him "I finally did it" and the local radio station played a sound bite of him yesterday that was creepy. Something about him saying the children were safe now and he rambled on some more before saying again they were safe and he would see them again someday.

[Amntn]

"You'd think that with his five children dead, Yates would be agonizing over what he could have done differently. Wrong."

This is what bothered me the most in his interview with Katie. I know that in any trauma I have gone through or my family or friends have gone through there has always been the "if only" questions.

When my best friends son died she was in constant misery saying "if only she had not let him go with his friends, If only she had done this or that."

This makes me question just what his involvement might have been. Did he set her up? Did he think it was a solution for his problems? Did he want his freedom from a crazy wife and all those kids he didn't want to have to take care of? He couldn't leave her and the kids without being the bad guy. He couldn't leave her and take the kids because he might have to change a diaper. What is a guy to do in a situation like that?

I think there is a lot more to this story that may come out if Andrea does get treatment and regains her sanity.

[muggs]

That's a possibility. I wouldn't put anything past the guy, but I think he was hoping she would kill herself.

[geege]

Castrate him.

[muggs]

If I called my husband and said "I did it", he response wouldn't be to think I killed someone. He would say "You did what?" This guy knew she was sick, sick, sick.

[Ward Smythe]

If I called my husband and said "I did it", he response wouldn't be to think I killed someone.

Yeah, as I said yesterday if my wife called and told me that I would hope it meant she had cleaned the house.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

I've been wondering if "Rusty" regularly visits Andrea in prison, and if she agrees to see him. After all, that tremendous rage she had in her killing spree was most likely against him."

Also, I recall reading that women he worked with at Nasa boycotted the kids' funerals. He's the kind of guy that other men might be clueless about, but intuitive women can see right through him.

[Amntn]

Maybe we are on to something. I had not read your reply until after I posted.

I hope the truth comes out someday.

[muggs]

Yeah, my husband too.

[Duke809]

Is it possible that this disgusting piece of garbage could be charged with "depraved indifference" or something similar. He knew full well there was a problem and did nothing.

While I have no real sympathy for Andrea Yates, I have even less for this pinhead.

I hope Hitler, Stalin, OJ, and John and Patsy Ramsey reserve a seat for this horses behind in hell

[MaggieMay]

My husband too.LOL I do think what Randy Rusty had in mind to bring home from the doctors vists wasn't ol' Andrea, but a new model bsed on the women from the Stepfort Wives.

[FITZ]

Blame God...blame the woman.

In this case you can blame the woman because it was she who held her little children under water while they fought for their lives. Do you really believe God wants women to murder their children? It's not too good when we start blaming the spouse for every decision made by the other. Just like the man in Dallas who shot his 2 daughters while he let them talk on the phone to their mother ---was it that mother's fault she allowed him to have visitation that day?