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CNN Live At Daybreak
Jury Begins Deliberations on Yates' Sentence Today
Aired March 15, 2002 - 06:08 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Here at home in the United States jurors in the Texas trial of Andrea Yates will begin deciding today whether she should die for drowning her children.
CNN's Gary Tuchman has more on the sentencing phase of the convicted mother's trial.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Andrea Yates stared forward with little emotion, as she watched her family and friends testify in an effort to save her life. The 37-year-old, now a convicted murderer of her children, listened to her tearful husband Rusty call her a wonderful mother, and the kindest, most caring person I know.
She listened to her 73-year-old mother Karen Kennedy call her the best mother. Other adjectives used by defense witnesses to describe Yates' mothering included beautiful, very good, attentive, compassionate, and awesome.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I talked about my beautiful friend, my sweet Andrea.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, the jury, find the defendant Andrea Pia Yates guilty of capital murder as charged in the indictment.
TUCHMAN: The praise comes as defense lawyers try to convince the jury Yates is not a danger to society, and that there are other factors that should lead to a sentence of life with the chance of parole in 2042, and not death by lethal injection.
GEORGE PARNHAM, ANDREA YATES' ATTORNEY: We present what we have and you know if it's emotional, it's emotional and that's the type of testimony that we have and that's what we presented.
KAYLYNN WILLFORD, PROSECUTOR: They're putting on their case. They're doing what they need to do.
TUCHMAN: The prosecution team turned down the opportunity to present its own witnesses, or do any cross-examination, prosecutors saying earlier testimony will suffice so the day was left to the defense.
DR. LUCY PURYEAR, DEFENSE PSYCHIATRIST: Mental illness is grossly misunderstood.
TUCHMAN: Defense witness, Dr. Lucy Puryear, told jurors Andrea Yates' severe mental illness should be a contributing factor against the death penalty. But it was the emotional family testimony that dominated the day, with Andrea Yates' mother telling jurors: "I am pleading for her life. I've lost seven people in a year." Karen Kennedy was referring to her five grandchildren, her daughter who will be put away for at least 40 years, and her husband, who died one year to the day before their daughter was convicted.
PARNHAM: We'll do everything we can to save her life.
TUCHMAN: Prosecutors will be speaking up on Friday. They say they will give a closing argument, as will the defense, and then the jury will be asked to make its decision of life or death.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Houston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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