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CNN Live Today

Yates Verdict Surprisingly Swift

Aired March 13, 2002 - 11:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now moving on to a story here stateside, that had a lot of attention yesterday. The Texas mother convicted of capital murder for drowning her five children now is facing a fight for her own life right now. The jury took some three and a half hours to make its decision.

They now must decide what's going to happen to Andrea Yates. Let's go now to our Ed Lavandera who has been covering this for us from Houston. He is joining us now live -- good morning, Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon. When this trial first started, everyone agreed that Andrea Yates had killed her five children. That wasn't in dispute here. But what a lot of people here, and not only -- around the country and around the world have been debating is whether or not Andrea Yates was legally insane when she drowned her five children last summer.

And as everyone else debated about whether or not that might be true, eight women and four men who deliberated in the jury room here at this Houston courthouse, we learned yesterday, that they didn't disagree at all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mrs. Yates, please stand. In cause (ph) 880205, the State of Texas versus Andrea Pia Yates, we, the jury, find the defendant, Andrea Pia Yates guilty of capital murder as charged in the indictment. Signed by the foreperson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: When the jury walked into the courtroom, after coming out of the deliberating room with the verdict in hand, none of the jurors looked over at Andrea Yates as they filed into the jury box. And I have covered several capital murder trials, and usually these cases tend to be very emotional for the jurors. I could see no visible signs of emotion on any of the jurors' faces.

On the other hand, Russell Yates, who was sitting just across the aisle from me in the fifth row of the courtroom, his head fell into his hands, and he said to himself, "Oh, my God." And, as he left the courtroom, obviously very upset with what had happened, he just said to himself, "Unbelievable." He had a chance to go visit Andrea Yates in the Harris County Jail last night. Tuesdays and Fridays are visiting days at the jails, and we understand that he spent a little more time inside the jail last night with his family and Andrea Yates than he normally has in the past, and when he came out of the jail, he came over -- back over to the courthouse, where a few friends had gathered for a candlelight vigil, offering support for Andrea Yates, as you have -- we have reported over course of the last eight and half months this trial -- this case has polarized many people, not only here in Houston, but around the country and around the world.

Andrea Yates getting a lot of support here from the National Organization for Women and also other people who are trying to use this case as putting the spotlight on women's mental health issues, and trying to convince people that mental illness is a disease just like anything else, like a heart attack or a stroke, as defense attorneys pointed out in their closing arguments yesterday.

Now we move on to the punishment phase in this case, and that same jury that convicted Andrea Yates yesterday will determine whether or not Andrea Yates spends life in prison, or will be sent to death row. If she is sent to life in prison, she won't be eligible for parole for at least 40 years, and she would be sent to a prison that has a psychiatric unit in it, about 150 miles southeast of Dallas.

If she is sent to death row, that prison is near Waco, the women's death row is near Waco here in Texas -- excuse me, I'm getting dumped on by some folks above the courthouse here, and -- anyway, Andrea Yates would be sent to that prison near Waco -- excuse me -- and where there are seven women on death row here in Texas, two of which have been convicted for murdering their own children -- Leon, back to you.

HARRIS: And real quickly, I have to ask you this, because everyone I have been talking to, and everyone I have been listening to this morning in the media who have been on outside looking in, people from around the country, expressed so much surprise at how quickly this jury came back in with this verdict. You were there. Do you get the same -- what was the reaction there amongst the folks that you were talking with in reporting this story? Were they surprised as well?

LAVANDERA: Quite honestly, incredibly surprised. You know, you spend some time -- we have sat in the courtroom every day over the course of the last three and half weeks, paying attention to testimony, and, quite honestly, as you sit there and you try to weigh both sides as to what you have listened to.

Personally, I have never listened to a case where I have been more in middle of anything that I have ever listened to, and then to have jury come back so quickly -- clearly, they were convinced of what they knew.

Obviously, didn't require a whole lot of debating on their part, so in their minds, their decision was very clear, and they asked for the tape-recorder in this case, and also, the legal definition of insanity in Texas, and, again, a lot of people, a lot of defense attorneys we have had a chance to speak to say this was just a difficult case to try in the state of Texas -- Leon.

HARRIS: The next few hours is going to be nothing but a guessing game. We'll see what happens next. Ed Lavandera in Houston, thank you.

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