In the Houston courtroom where Andrea Yates is on trial for her life, Rusty Yates and his mother, Dora, sit in one row while Jutta and Brian Kennedy, Andrea's mother and brother, sit in a row of their own. Publicly, at least, the two families are cordial--Rusty celebrated Thanksgiving with the Kennedys--but the seating arrangements tell a different story. Yates has admitted drowning her five children last June 20, a crime so horrendous even her husband described it as "unthinkable." But she had a history of postpartum depression that seemed to grow deeper over time. Now, according to Andrew Kennedy, Andrea's family thinks Rusty Yates could have done more to help her through her emotional torment. "I feel Rusty did the best he could," Andrew Kennedy says. "But I am a very forgiving person. They've got some anger issues. They're having a hard time getting past this."
Facing the death penalty, Yates has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. There is little doubt she knew what she was doing when she killed her children. But there is equally little question that she was suffering from severe emotional distress--not just postpartum depression, but postpartum psychosis as well. Medical records show Yates had been hospitalized four times since 1999, that she had attempted suicide twice and that her doctor for a time had prescribed Haldol, a powerful drug often used to control hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms. On June 20, her lawyers say, Yates suffered a psychotic break that led to her terrible acts. It will be up to the jury--selection began last week--to decide if that claim is believable or not.
Opening arguments are still weeks away, but the trial is likely to be revolve around opposing experts--Park Dietz, a nationally known forensic psychiatrist, for the prosecution, and Phillip Resnick, an expert on postpartum psychosis, for the defense. Andrea, home-schooling her kids and mourning the death of her father, "was in a weakened state but she had no control over her life, no free time," Andrew Kennedy said. He added: "Rusty's communications skills are an F-minus. In a lot of ways he's very self-centered." (As prospective witnesses, Rusty and Dora Yates are barred from commenting on the case.)
Another issue between the families, he said, was Rusty Yates's association with a freelance evangelist who tried to convert the Kennedy family from Roman Catholicism. The evangelist, Michael Peter Woroniecki, believes churchgoers of all religions are damned and preaches that women should be submissive to their husbands.
The Yates and Kennedy families now face the ordeal of a lengthy trial--unless there is a plea bargain. Last week prosecutor Joe Ownby offered to drop the death penalty in return for a guilty plea. That would avert the spectacle of executing a deeply troubled woman. But it is unlikely to mend the fences between the families any time soon.
