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American Morning
In Andrea Yates Trial, Russell Yates Due to Take the Stand
Aired February 27, 2002 - 09:05 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: "Up Front" this morning, the Andrea Yates trial, the mother who drowned her five children. Her husband, Russell Yates, is due to take the stand today. He has stood by his wife's side since she first called him to say -- quote -- "She finally did it."
CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Houston following the trial, and reports now on the man who's fighting to save all that is left of his family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We first met Russell Yates 24 hours after he lost his entire family, when he stepped into the spotlight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Had your wife every made any threats against the children?
RUSSELL YATES, ANDREA YATES' HUSBAND: No. I said earlier. I said no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Eyes bloodshot and swollen from a sleepless night of crying, Russell Yates defended his wife.
Yates say he talked that day because he didn't want police or prosecutors to define his family.
FAIRY CAROLAND, RUSSELL YATES' AUNT: He also thought about that in terms of wanting to set some people straight about Andrea, about what their life was like, and that there was so much more normal than people realize with them as a family. And he took 30 minutes to compose himself before he ever came out and did that.
LAVANDERA: Twice a week, Russell Yates visits a downtown Houston jail to spend 15 minutes with Andrea. He's still struggling to make sense of what happened. It's a lonely and spiritual journey. Yates find solace at the suburban Houston church, where funeral services were held for his five children. And he wonders how long he will stay in the house, which used to be filled with the sounds of vibrant children. His aunt recalls how he put in a recent conversation.
CAROLAND: You know, aunt Fairy, I do have bad memories certainly of what happened, but I've got some good memories of that house, of being with the kids, and things I did with them and things I did with Andrea. I still have good memories there, and I need to kind sort through some of that stuff.
LAVANDERA: Sorting through the emotions is difficult. Everywhere Russell Yates goes, someone has an opinion about his family. Some people have little sympathy for him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that he has turned from grieving father to supportive husband to exploitive manipulator of death of his five babies.
LAVANDERA: Russell Yates doesn't understand the criticism. His families thinks partly because he didn't cry in public.
CAROLAND: For some reason, people say he's not emotional enough. Well, I'm not quit sure what they're expecting there, but he's a person that doesn't try to stand in front of people and just constantly wallow in what he's feeling.
LAVANDERA: Russell Yates seems more tense around the courthouse. Family members says he feels the pressure of testifying in court, and whether it will be enough to save his wife's life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: Last night was visiting day at the Harris County jail in downtown Houston. Russell Yates was there to spend 15 minutes with wife. And as I just mentioned, he is a little bit more tense. And when we caught with him briefly, you could tell that a lot is weighing on his mind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YATES: I'm nervous about it, you know.
QUESTION: Is there something that you hope will make a difference?
Well, sure. You know, I mean, I can't really talk about the case. So -- not until it's over, so.
QUESTION: What was Andrea like tonight.
YATES: She was in pretty good spirits overall, doing pretty well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Paula, I spent some time with Russell Yates in his house before this trial started a few weeks ago, and he mentioned that the hardest thing for him to get used, is that his house that was once filled with five kids and a loving wife is now empty, and he's getting used to the silence -- Paula.
ZAHN: So, Ed, why do they want to put Russell Yates on the stand today?
LAVANDERA: We heard from defense attorneys that they're hoping -- they want to offer personal anecdotes. A lot of what we heard so far is from medical experts and doctors, and a lot of very tedious testimony. They're hoping that from several family members, Russell Yates being one of them, of course, that they put a personal face on Andrea Yates, and that they bring to life the woman they say they seen in home videos and family portraits.
ZAHN: Thanks so much, Ed Lavandera, for the report, and I know you will in the courtroom today, and CNN will be coming to you throughout the day for your insights.
Thanks.
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