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American Morning
Closing Arguments Will Begin Shortly in Trial of Andrea Yates
Aired March 12, 2002 - 07:03 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, closing arguments will begin shortly in the capital murder trial of Andrea Yates. The crime was impossible to comprehend. Prosecutors and defense attorneys agree she was mentally ill when she drowned her five children in the family bathtub last June, but now the jury will have to decide one last critical question, whether the Texas mother knew right from wrong when she killed her children.
CNN's Ed Lavandera has been in Houston following the trial.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And on June the 20th, the inevitable happens.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After 17 days of testimony, attorneys have one more chance to help a jury decide the fate of Andrea Yates.
CHRIS TRITICO, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Because of the difficult medical evidence in this case, these arguments can be very important for this jury. Typically they have made up their mind by the time we do our final arguments. This is a case where it might be different.
LAVANDERA: Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agree Andrea Yates suffered from a severe mental illness the day she murdered her children, but they disagree on the major point. Prosecutors say Yates knew her actions were wrong. The defense says Yates' mental illness turned her world upside down, making it impossible for her to distinguish right from wrong.
The prosecutors called two medical witnesses, which included high profile psychiatrist Park Dietz.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We pretty much flew him in here from California to testify.
LAVANDERA: Defense attorneys called 10 medical experts. Most of those witnesses weren't paid to analyze Andrea Yates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully they look at what they said. I mean we think we have more than just the numbers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's quality versus quantity and I think we had both.
LAVANDERA: Some observers say the jury will focus on Melissa Ferguson's testimony. She's the jail psychiatrist who interviewed Yates 24 hours after the drownings. Ferguson described Yates as one of the sickest patients she'd ever seen. She says Yates killed her children because she wanted them to go to heaven.
TRITICO: The jail psychologist, the one who treated her right after she got arrested, is probably the most critical witness in the whole case. She's got no axe to bear for either side, just doing her job, very important testimony.
LAVANDERA: Prosecutors have tried to keep the jury focused on Andrea Yates' own words. Yates told several psychiatrists her actions were wrong. She called 911 and even confessed to police.
(on camera): Andrea Yates' attorneys are using that very same evidence to try to prove their arguments. And that's the dilemma in this case. The defense says Andrea Yates had to be insane. How else could you explain why a gentle, loving mother would convince herself to murder her five innocent children?
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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