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American Morning

Defense Calls Yates Psychiatrist

Aired March 05, 2002 - 08:22   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.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to the trial of Andrea Yates, the woman who drowned her five children in the family's bathtub -- that trial going on in Texas. Following the testimony of mental health professionals, defense lawyers called the psychiatrist who actually treated Ms. Yates days before she killed her children.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Houston. He's been following the trial closely.

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On May 14 last year, Andrea Yates was under suicide watch in this psychiatric hospital. Nurses came by to check on her at 6:15 that night, but about the same time the hospital told Russell Yates his wife was free to go home. It was Andrea Yates's last hospital stay before drowning her five children 37 days later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It certainly looks like somebody dropped the ball somewhere, doesn't it?

LAVANDERA: Defense attorneys say that someone is Dr. Mohammed Saeed. Saeed initially chose not to put Andrea Yates on the anti- psychotic medication Haldol, even though records show it helped Yates during her 1999 bout with psychosis. But because of pressure from Russell Yates, Saeed prescribed Haldol. Yates took it for a month, then Saeed decided to stop the treatment. Two weeks later the Yates's children were dead.

FAIRY CAROLAND, RUSSELL YATES'S AUNT: I already knew he was relatively incompetent, and he just proved himself.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): After testifying, Dr. Saeed raced out of the Houston courthouse without talking about the allegations. But in court, Saeed says Andrea Yates only showed possible signs of psychosis, and that's why he took her off the Haldol treatment. But Saeed couldn't answer when pressed about why anti-psychotic medication was prescribed if he wasn't convinced Andrea Yates was psychotic.

(on camera): The defense's medical expert will return to the witness stand on Tuesday. Defense attorneys expect to wrap up in the next day or so. Then it will be the prosecution's turn to present more evidence including their own medical expert who will likely say Andrea Yates knew it was wrong to drown her five children. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston.

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