Insanity Plea Seen in 5 Children’s Deaths
The woman accused of killing her five young children by drowning them in a bathtub will likely plead not guilty by reason of insanity, her attorney said.
Andrea Yates, 36, told police she drowned her children--Noah, 7; John, 5; Paul, 3; Luke, 2; and 6-month-old Mary--at their home in Houston. She was charged with capital murder.
Yates’ attorney, George Parnham, said psychiatrists have examined her at the Harris County Jail and have found cause to enter an insanity plea.
Yates’ husband, Russell, told reporters on Thursday that she was driven to harm their children by severe postpartum depression, coupled with her father’s recent death.
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