In any criminal case there is always a motive behind the crime. Some of these crimes can sometimes be intentional while others can be caused by biological causes like being mentally unstable. In other words, criminal behaviors are driven by mindsets criminals place in their heads in ways that an ordinary person would not. In this case most people hold the belief that violent behaviors which lead to terrible crimes such as murder is as a result biological causes. As a result, analyzed herein is the case of a murder crime committed by Andrea Yates. This paper assumes a biological approach in an attempt to analyze the main cause of the crime.
CASE OVERVIEW
20th June 2001 was one of the darkest moments of the residents of Texas as news reports indicated that one Andrea Yates, a wife and mother of five, chose to kill her children in the worst way possible. According to news reports, Mrs. Yates committed the crime immediately her husband was off to work. News reports state that she filled a bathtub with water and one by one she sunk all her children. She later laid the bodies on her bed leaving the seven year old floating inside the bathtub. Finally, she phoned the police and her husband informing them of what she had done. This case was heard according to the M’Naghten Rules, which include legal sanity test procedures (Roche 2002). The following year, this criminal was sentenced of capital murder whereby her judgement was nothing less than life imprisonment with the possibility of parole maybe after forty years of good conduct behind bars. An appeal was late made in the year 2006 whereby the jury stated that Mrs. Andrea Yates was not guilty of the crimes she was accused of due to the reason that she mentally unstable. Research indicates that a young certified nurse provided test results which indicated a long history of insanity signs demonstrated by the offender.
CONDUCTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE CRIMINAL ACT
Mrs. Andrea Yates was an all American girl being the last born from a family of five. She grew up in a middle class environment since both her parents were working with careers that comfortably sustained them. While the mother worked as an interior designer, the father was an instructor in a high school motor shop. After conducting a deep research about the accused, Yates can generally be classified as an overachiever with high leadership skills. She has demonstrated skills in leadership since high school where she graduated as the valedictorian (Ramsland). Moreover, in her swim team, she was selected to be team captain and was also a member of the national honor society. In 1986, she graduated from the University of Texas School after earning her first degree in nursing from a pre-nursing course she took from the University of Houston. In the year 1993 she wedded Mr. Yates and months later she the accused was pregnant with her first child. Not long after giving birth to her first born child did Mrs. Yates again become pregnant with her second born child whom she gave birth to after moving to Florida. Here, life was somehow tough for the couple and two new born babies, hence they lived in 38-foot trailer (Denno 2003). They later on moved back to Texas after their third child. On their return, Andrea met Michael whom research says that was a false preacher and filled her mind with the wrong idea about their children going to hell. In the year 1999, the offender attempted suicide for the first time in her life but luckily she was saved in time (McLellan 2006).
Even though she was saved, the first attempt to take her own life was severe on her health and left her hospitalized for one week. Through the one week period she spent in the hospital, Mrs. Yates was always quiet and never wanted to talk about her issues. It can be said that she was trying to hide her mental problems and illness from the society. Doctors treated her with antidepressant for her postpartum depression for seven days and discharged. It was not long before she refused to continue with her medication and started to self-mutilate her own body. Even worse, she never fed her own babies who only months old aside from the three older ones. Andrea most of the times even thought that people on the TV were talking to her. In the year 1999 she again tried to kill herself whereby she almost slit her throat with a knife and commanded the husband not to stop her. Rusty once again admitted Andrea to the hospital for 10 days. After Andrea’s arrival to the hospital she was considered to be in a catatonic state and prescribed Haldol, an antipsychotic drug. After taking the prescription Andrea began to improve quickly (Agnew 2010). Andrea was released from the hospital; but it was her psychiatrist recommendation that she not have any more kids because of the suicide attempts and the diagnosis for postpartum depression. The psychiatrist told Andrea that the stress of another child could make her relapse.
But after the psychiatrist told Andrea to not become pregnant she once again gave birth to a baby girl on November, 30 2000. Andrea was trying her hardest to cope with everything that was going on in her life. But when her dad passed away in March 2001 Andrea started to slowly spiral out of control. When Andrea spoke with her psychiatrist in March of 2001, he decided to take Andrea off the prescription of Haldol. Andrea’s psychiatrist said that he believed Andrea was no longer in a psychotic state of mind, at the psychiatrist believes that she has too much stress and wants her to be positive. But in May of 2001Andrea returned back to the hospital and was released again 10 days later after telling the hospital that nothing was wrong and that all she needed was to manage her stress better. But that didn’t change because Andrea stopped talking, was self-mutilating herself again, and she stopped feeding her children. Andrea decided to start reading the Bible constantly, and that’s when June, 20 2001 came and she decided to drown her five children in the bathtub of her home (Crime & Punishment, 2012).
After drowning her children Andrea remained in a catatonic state. Andrea showed no emotions to the crime that she committed. Andrea said that because she was not a good mother her children did not act right and her children were not developing correctly (Crime & Punishment, 2012). Even to this day in prison Andrea has to be seen by multiple physicians for her eating habits and not taking care of herself (McLellan, 2006).
PROOF OF BIOLOGICAL IMPACTS
Andrea Yates, whose mental illness led her to drown her five children. Andrea who seemed to be a joyful mother, when she held her newborns in her arm said that is what brought her a sense of joy and happiness. As the years went by, Andrea suffered from mental issues, which includes post-partum depression before she decided to drown her five children. The feelings of joy and happiness begin to plummet, and instead was replaced with anger, hate, guilt, and loneliness. Elissa Seto said,” Andrea’s feelings took her over and that is the reasoning for doing what she did. But, as disturbing and shocking as the drowning, there are other mothers that can sympathize for what Andrea Yates did”. Andrea’s illness began after her fourth baby and when she tried to commit suicide. This goes to show the seriousness of postpartum psychosis. While signs of postpartum depression were recognized in Yates, she never finished any treatment of this disease due to insurance limitations. Rusty Yates and Andrea Yates doctors never did how bad she really was; therefore the doctor did not believe that she needed to be hospitalized. This is proof that Andrea was definitely suffering from postpartum psychosis and that voices in her head told her to hurt people, including her own children. Unfortunately, because of Andrea Yates illness not being recognized it led her to kill her five children which shows how serious postpartum depression can really be. Elissa Seto says that, “Postpartum illnesses can affect any mother, whether it’s her first baby or her fourth baby, and it can recur, as can be seen with the case of Andrea Yates. These events, though rare, can all be preventable. Psychosis is not something that people can just snap out of, but must be treated with great care because it is a disease that obviously has severe consequences. Although, in the trial for Andrea Yates, the jury did not believe that she was insane at the time of the killing, it is obvious that she has suffered from postpartum depression and psychosis. Her illnesses do not excuse the fact that she committed these atrocities, but learning more about the illnesses will help people understand why she did it, and how to prevent other situations like this”.
PSYCHOPATHIC BEHAVIORS
When the case made against Andrea Yates, you may wonder why one would want to kill her children. Well one thing it could be is mental illness. Dr. Gerald Harris a clinical psychologist interviewed Yates four times while she was in prison. He stated that Yates had signs of psychosis and hallucinations. According to Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc (2012), “Yates had stated she had seen Satan in her cell and he was talking to her” (Legal Decisions). During an interview Yates also stated that “She needed to be punished for not being a good mother” (Legal Decisions). The need to be punished can also be a motivating factor in someone’s criminal behavior (Schmalleger, 2012).
Research has shown some criminals can also inherit certain genes, which can play a role in one’s mental illness. Postpartum depression an illness in women that can develop after the birth of a child. Doctors are trying to understand how hormonal shifts would cause violent hallucinations and thoughts. Women who suffer from postpartum depression can show symptoms, to include becoming incoherent, paranoid, irrational, and delusional. Some women never realize they are experiencing postpartum depression. When these symptoms do occur women can experience hallucinations, and become suicidal or even harm their children or child. Women often think that if they harm their child it is for the child’s own good (Agnew 2010). This type of behavior is diagnosed as postpartum psychosis.
Andrea began to show signs of postpartum psychosis shortly after the birth of the couple’s first child. Yates began to have hallucinations, which involved stabbings. After the birth of the couples fourth child Yates attempted suicide by overdosing on sedatives (Bernard et.al 2009). Yates stated that Satan spoke to her. However, Andrea and Rusty had Bible-inspired notions about family and motherhood; therefore, she did not tell anyone what she was really feeling. Andrea did not realize how much mental illness there was in her own family, which ranged from from depression to bipolar disorder, both can contribute to postpartum psychosis (Merton 1938). By Andrea not telling anyone what she was feeling or the thoughts going through her head her condition became out of control, and she could no longer keep it inside.
REFERENCE LIST
Merton Robert K. 1938. “Social Structure and Anomie.” American Sociological Review
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Agnew, Robert, and Timothy Brezina. 2010. Strain theories. In Sage handbook of criminological theory. Edited by Eugene McLaughlin and Tim Newburn. London: SAGE
Denno, D.W. (2003). Who is Andrea Yates?: A short story about insanity. Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy. 10 (Summer), 1-85. Retrieved from: http://findarticles.com/p/ articles/mi_go2943/is_10/ai_n9360004/?tag=content;col1
McLellan, F. (2006). Mental health and justice: the case of Andrea Yates. Lancet, 368(9551), 1951-1954. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69789-4\
Ramsland, K. (n.d.). Andrea Yates: Ill or Evil? Trutv Crime Library. Retrieved from:
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/women/andrea_yates/14.html
Roche, T. (2002). THE YATES ODYSSEY. Time International (South Pacific Edition), (3), 40.
Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. (2012). Andrea Yates: Ill or Evil?. Retrieved from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/women/andrea_yates/2.html
