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CNN Saturday Morning News
Yates Sentenced to Life in Prison
Aired March 16, 2002 - 07:25 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It'll be 40 years before Andrea Yates is eligible for parole. Yesterday a Texas jury returned a life sentence against Yates for drowning her children. After the verdict, Yates' husband reacted.
CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The jury that convicted Andrea Yates of murder decided not to put her on death row.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "We, the jury, because at least 10 jurors have a reasonable doubt as the probability of the defendant, Andrea Pia Yates, would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society, determine that the answer to Special Issue Number One is no. Signed, Foreman of the Jury."
TUCHMAN: One of Andrea Yates' lawyers whispered "Thank you" to jurors, who determined the woman who murdered her five children should receive a life sentence.
Defense lawyers said Andrea Yates did not immediately understand the wording of the verdict, but after having it explained, was relieved.
Her husband, Russell, who has supported her, smiled and nodded when he heard the verdict.
RUSSELL YATES, ANDREA YATES'S HUSBAND: You know, it could be worse, I mean, if she'd been given the death penalty, but it wouldn't have been that much worse.
TUCHMAN: During their closing arguments, prosecutors showed jurors pictures of the five Yates children, but were not nearly as strident as they could have been in pursuing the death penalty.
KAYLYNN WILLIFORD, PROSECUTOR: Whatever you decide, the state will accept, but it's in your hands.
TUCHMAN: The eight women and four men on the jury only took 35 minutes to make their sentencing decision. They left the court together under guard from sheriff's deputies and were allowed to return home for the first time in four weeks.
JOE OWMBY, PROSECUTOR: I cannot argue with their verdict based on the evidence that is in this case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, HOME VIDEO)
ANDREA YATES: Hello. Can you say "banana"?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Na-na.
A. YATES: Say "Daddy"?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Da-da.
A. YATES: Mommy?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Da-da.
A. YATES: Mommy?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Russell Yates was asked if he has ever been angry at his wife since the day of the killings.
R. YATES: The one thing that I'm, you know, I'm not happy with is the fact that she never told me that she had any thoughts of harming the children before. You know, if she'd have said anything about that, we may have decided not to have any more children.
TUCHMAN: Yates and his wife's defense team still say her psychosis made it impossible for her to know what she did was wrong. Now that the trial is over and a gag order is lifted, prosecutors have publicly countered that.
WILLIFORD: Well, everyone's talked about trying to make this a women's issue, a political issue. But the issue needs to be that there are five dead children, and none of those children had an opportunity at life, none of those children chose to die. They all fought for their life. And they should be the focus and remembered appropriately.
R. YATES: They loved their mommy. They -- I know they don't hold this against her. They know that she was sick, and they know that she loved them.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Russell Yates visited his wife in jail after the verdict. The woman who will be 77 years old when she's eligible for parole was, according to her husband, in pretty good spirits.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Houston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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