Was Andrea Yates insane

Answer 1

Andrea Yates, the Texas housewife that murdered her 5 small children by drowning them in the bathtub was convicted and sentenced to death for the killings. She was later tried again and found insane and committed to a mental hospital where she resides today. Although the prosecution claimed she was competent and deserved the original punishment of death many others feel she should not be held responsible. She was in fact severely mentally ill. One of the few cases that truly should not be punished. Yates had been in and out of mental health facilities for several years before the murders, and diagnosed delusional and suicidal. Made worse was her post-partum physcosis and the wrong combinations of drugs and an overwhelmed spouse. She never tried to hide the crimes or evade punishment which is the criteria under the McNauten Rule.