New interview with Rusty Yates

[Jana814]

This is the guy I thought should have KEEP AWAY tattooed to his forehead and private parts. Because IMHO I think he had some responsibility for what happened.

Agree!

[Cleopatra7]

I read a book about Andrea Yates a few years ago. In it, the author noted that when doctors are able to get Andrea's medication fine-tuned enough to alleviate her psychosis, she is aware of where she is and what she did to her children and feels immense guilt. So, just when she gets "better" enough to find some relief from her profound and debilitating mental illness, she realizes again that she murdered her own children. That has haunted me - the fact that she has to "learn" what happened for the first time over and over again.

If Doug Phillips is a tool, there are no words for Rusty Yates.

As I recall, it seems like Andrea Yates is stuck in a sort of vicious circle psychosis; when she's psychotic, she doesn't remember what she did, but when her medicine is working, she remembers, which then leads to a nervous breakdown and further psychosis. I don't even think Shakespeare or a Greek playwright could come up with a punishment like that. On Rusty Yates? In an ideal world, not only would he be in prison, but so would that scumbag "preacher" who convinced Andrea that she was evil and sinful.

[gilamomster]

I've always felt that, as the well, sane person in the marriage, Rusty is culpable. Doctors outright told him that she should not get pregnant again, but he just had to keep having babies for Jesus.

Absolutely he should have been charged with something, child endangerment maybe?

Instead he walked, and then spent years probably rationalizing the death of his children.

[Emkay]

I read a book about Andrea Yates a few years ago. In it, the author noted that when doctors are able to get Andrea's medication fine-tuned enough to alleviate her psychosis, she is aware of where she is and what she did to her children and feels immense guilt. So, just when she gets "better" enough to find some relief from her profound and debilitating mental illness, she realizes again that she murdered her own children. That has haunted me - the fact that she has to "learn" what happened for the first time over and over again.

If Doug Phillips is a tool, there are no words for Rusty Yates.

Was it 'Are You There Alone?' I read that book and it detailed the progression of her psychosis and the doctors' recommendations that she have no more children. He is absolutely just as guilty as she for what happened. A perfect example of the harm that religion can cause.

[salex]

The idea in a previous post that he had a woman on the side before all this happened makes him more likely to be more culpable. I always wondered how anyone would leave their own children alone with a person (parent or not) who had already tried to kill herself more than once, was obviously not stable and had been talking like it was reported she was talking. How critical was it that he not be late to work that day since the grandmother wasn't yet there?

I have always thought he should have been prosecuted for criminal neglect of his children, at the very least. But if he had a girlfriend, his actions of leaving his kids with is mentally ill wife who was a known danger to herself and others takes on a more diabolical turn. Who knows what he whispered in Andrea's ear that morning before he left her alone with the kids. He may have long before been done with the religious constraints but been trapped by them and his wife's illness insured even if he did divorce her, he'd likely be expected to take the kids with him into his new life.....

I may watch too much Criminal Minds.....

[Firiel]

The idea in a previous post that he had a woman on the side before all this happened makes him more likely to be more culpable. I always wondered how anyone would leave their own children alone with a person (parent or not) who had already tried to kill herself more than once, was obviously not stable and had been talking like it was reported she was talking. How critical was it that he not be late to work that day since the grandmother wasn't yet there?

I have always thought he should have been prosecuted for criminal neglect of his children, at the very least. But if he had a girlfriend, his actions of leaving his kids with is mentally ill wife who was a known danger to herself and others takes on a more diabolical turn. Who knows what he whispered in Andrea's ear that morning before he left her alone with the kids. He may have long before been done with the religious constraints but been trapped by them and his wife's illness insured even if he did divorce her, he'd likely be expected to take the kids with him into his new life.....

I may watch too much Criminal Minds.....

And if Andrea was picking up the signals of his neglect and new love interest, while he was surely denying anything was different, I can't imagine that helped with her mental state. That kind of behavior gives people who don't have mental illnesses breakdowns.

[Phoebe]

.

As I recall, it seems like Andrea Yates is stuck in a sort of vicious circle psychosis; when she's psychotic, she doesn't remember what she did, but when her medicine is working, she remembers, which then leads to a nervous breakdown and further psychosis. I don't even think Shakespeare or a Greek playwright could come up with a punishment like that. On Rusty Yates? In an ideal world, not only would he be in prison, but so would that scumbag "preacher" who convinced Andrea that she was evil and sinful.

I wonder sometimes if it would be kinder on the part of the psychiatrists in her mental health facility to simply leave her in a psychotic state as long as she is not a danger to herself or others. I can't imagine having to learn over and over and over again that I'd killed my children and that my husband divorced me in order to find some other woman to continuously impregnate.

[BrownieMomma]

Was it 'Are You There Alone?' I read that book and it detailed the progression of her psychosis and the doctors' recommendations that she have no more children. He is absolutely just as guilty as she for what happened. A perfect example of the harm that religion can cause.

IMO the more accurate truth here is how religion can be used to harm others. I feel that Rusty Yates would find other ways to use and abuse if he wasn't using religion. However, I do feel the particular mindset of Pearl-type followers was very harmful to Andrea.

I have a BIL who is very controlling and domineering. He is all into a small church featuring patriarchy and submission. Why oh why is the emphasis always seem to be about obedience and submission? I have never felt a whiff of Jesus about BIL, and I feel certain that his religious fervor is directly related to how it allows him to control his wife, ex-wife, and children.

[Rear Window]

I saw this Saturday night wanted to reach through the tv and slap both Rusty and Oprah. He came across as flat and totally removed from the situation. And it's gross that he already had another woman before they were divorced and moved on so quickly. Oprah was way too lenient on him, totally coddling him and never asked him any of the hard questions. Ass should be in jail.

[nokidsmom]

I wonder sometimes if it would be kinder on the part of the psychiatrists in her mental health facility to simply leave her in a psychotic state as long as she is not a danger to herself or others. I can't imagine having to learn over and over and over again that I'd killed my children and that my husband divorced me in order to find some other woman to continuously impregnate.

I have wondered the same thing after hearing of this psychological "circle" that she's in. Improvement with meds only serves to drive her back into psychosis, so might be the most merciful thing for her to just remain in that state.

As far as Rusty, while he's not been held responsible for his level of neglect in any legal or official way, this will also follow him for the rest of his life. I know there's many people who feel he's not been punished anywhere near enough. But this will indeed follow him, it still has and there's no way he will shake off being marked as the guy who failed his family in the worst ways possible. I wonder how his second wife deals with it, she's got to be the subject of many questions both directly and indirectly. And as another poster noted above, he has a child will who grow up and learn about the whole awful situation about his dad's first family.

[apandaaries]

I have wondered the same thing after hearing of this psychological "circle" that she's in. Improvement with meds only serves to drive her back into psychosis, so might be the most merciful thing for her to just remain in that state.

As far as Rusty, while he's not been held responsible for his level of neglect in any legal or official way, this will also follow him for the rest of his life. I know there's many people who feel he's not been punished anywhere near enough. But this will indeed follow him, it still has and there's no way he will shake off being marked as the guy who failed his family in the worst ways possible. I wonder how his second wife deals with it, she's got to be the subject of many questions both directly and indirectly. And as another poster noted above, he has a child will who grow up and learn about the whole awful situation about his dad's first family.

But what are her psychotic states like? If they are anything like what we read about before the death of the children, she seems quite likely to be self-harming, and possibly a danger to others (staff and other patients; I'm assuming she doesn't have many visitors). Then again, maybe when she's delusional, she might feel better.. That's the most vicious of cycles to be stuck in. Honestly, I would just want to die. I can't imagine coming to sanity to realize what she has to realize, again and again. That is unimaginable pain.

This horrible case also reminds me of PP and Zsu. If PP had mentally unstable parishioners, I don't think hearing PP preach about the evils of the world would be helpful. We know how anti-pharmaceutical/big medicine Zsu is, so I don't think they'd advise others to seek medical attention.

ETA: I had always assumed that the second marriage was somehow related to his religion. It seemed, to me, like the only way one could try to move so quickly as he did with a willing partner -- like, a lonely, religious woman feels sympathy for this man who experienced such a tremendous loss. I was in grad school when it happened, so I didn't know as many details and didn't have the time to research more. Now that I am more aware of how quickly he moved on -- and that he was hanging on a woman at the funeral, WTF -- I am more repulsed than previously conceivable. He really does come across as either extremely narcissistic or psychopathic and unable to understand other humans as humans.

[SamE]

I can't imagine wanting to be the second wife of this man. What poor self esteem she must have to think she is only worth having him....

[nokidsmom]

I can't imagine wanting to be the second wife of this man. What poor self esteem she must have to think she is only worth having him....

Maybe she felt sorry for him, decided she would be the one to make the sad man happy, or something like that.

Thought given all the outrage over how he dealt with his wife's obvious illness, it should have given any woman pause. IIRC, they dealt with multiple doctors, had tried different therapies / drugs over a period of years. His wife was pretty much non functional. The guy himself worked for NASA so he was no idiot at least in the educational sense and the family had decent healthcare. Yet all this and he just was completely clueless about how serious things were. Lots wrong here.

[starfish]

Harris County should have prosecuted Rusty for child endangerment. They were wimps for not doing so. The evidence fits the elements.

They should have dragged his sorry self in front of the grand jury for three weeks at the very least.

People need to realize that you just can't leave your children with your mentally ill spouse and hope it all works out.

I loathe him.

[already hungover]

Was it 'Are You There Alone?' I read that book and it detailed the progression of her psychosis and the doctors' recommendations that she have no more children. He is absolutely just as guilty as she for what happened. A perfect example of the harm that religion can cause.

That is the book. I may have recommended it on a thread here at FJ. It is absolutely haunting. Interviews with Andrea are wrenching.

[Walking Cat Bed]

As I recall, it seems like Andrea Yates is stuck in a sort of vicious circle psychosis; when she's psychotic, she doesn't remember what she did, but when her medicine is working, she remembers, which then leads to a nervous breakdown and further psychosis. I don't even think Shakespeare or a Greek playwright could come up with a punishment like that. On Rusty Yates? In an ideal world, not only would he be in prison, but so would that scumbag "preacher" who convinced Andrea that she was evil and sinful.

If Andrea's mental state is that unstable, she NEEDS to be in a long-term care facility -- somewhere that she doesn't have a chance to go off her meds because she "feels fine", spirals down, gets back on her meds after a break, realizes what she did, breaks, recovers a bit, feels better...She's in a place where she has access to the mental health care she needs and is not a danger to herself or anyone else. It's not only a form of justice for her children, but it's merciful for Andrea herself.

Rusty Yates is a fresh skid mark in already grody underpants. He's managed to convince himself and other people that he's a victim in this. No, jackass, your very sick ex-wife who you at least allowed (if not pushed) to go off of her meds and get pregnant time and time again, even though her doctors said it was very dangerous for her to do so, is more of a victim than you. She was actively ill when you left her alone with the children, which you knew was a serious risk.

[gustava]

May he sprout putrid excrescences .....

[already hungover]

If Andrea's mental state is that unstable, she NEEDS to be in a long-term care facility -- somewhere that she doesn't have a chance to go off her meds because she "feels fine", spirals down, gets back on her meds after a break, realizes what she did, breaks, recovers a bit, feels better...She's in a place where she has access to the mental health care she needs and is not a danger to herself or anyone else. It's not only a form of justice for her children, but it's merciful for Andrea herself.

Rusty Yates is a fresh skid mark in already grody underpants. He's managed to convince himself and other people that he's a victim in this. No, jackass, your very sick ex-wife who you at least allowed (if not pushed) to go off of her meds and get pregnant time and time again, even though her doctors said it was very dangerous for her to do so, is more of a victim than you. She was actively ill when you left her alone with the children, which you knew was a serious risk.

Given the evidence at hand, I also doubt that Andrea was able to consent to sex. To me, this makes it even more disgusting that Rusty kept getting her pregnant back to back to back.

[Peas n carrots]

If Andrea's mental state is that unstable, she NEEDS to be in a long-term care facility -- somewhere that she doesn't have a chance to go off her meds because she "feels fine", spirals down, gets back on her meds after a break, realizes what she did, breaks, recovers a bit, feels better...She's in a place where she has access to the mental health care she needs and is not a danger to herself or anyone else. It's not only a form of justice for her children, but it's merciful for Andrea herself.

Rusty Yates is a fresh skid mark in already grody underpants. He's managed to convince himself and other people that he's a victim in this. No, jackass, your very sick ex-wife who you at least allowed (if not pushed) to go off of her meds and get pregnant time and time again, even though her doctors said it was very dangerous for her to do so, is more of a victim than you. She was actively ill when you left her alone with the children, which you knew was a serious risk.

I don't even know where to begin. It seems death would be the most merciful thing for Andrea. I can't imagine a worse hell on earth.

[Lillybee]

One thing that chilled me was the seemingly forced smiles on the children. I wondered if Rusty and Andrea followed the Pearls. I wouldn't be a bit surprised.

[salex]

One thing that chilled me was the seemingly forced smiles on the children. I wondered if Rusty and Andrea followed the Pearls. I wouldn't be a bit surprised.

They followed Michael Peter Woroniecki (A street /campus ministry preacher) to the point I think the bus they lived in for a while (with the kids under the floor in the luggage area for beds?) was purchased from him. He has explained he had nothing to do with Andrea, always going through Rusty, and distances himself from everything, but they were sincere followers from what I read at the time.

ETA, finally found some of his direct teachings from back then

womensspace.wordpress.com/2007/01/15/the-quiverfull-movement-hate-speech-and-discrimination-against-women-as-women/

Here is a little article about him. I will say since I read Pilgrim's Wilderness yesterday, a line or two by one of his daughters in this article jumped out at me.

.apologeticsindex.org/w16.html

Woroniecki says in the following article that the Yates tried to follow him but obviously fell short of salvation. (Which was what Andrea obessessed on... saving her kids from her fate of Hell?) Other articles have him saying if they had followed him correctly they'd be a happy little family right now.

abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=126229

[saguarosally]

I remember this case. I'm roughly the same age as Noah would be...I was about eight years old when the trial was televised. I remember asking my mom why a mom would hurt her kids like that, and I remember my mom saying something about how Andrea was possessed by Satan/was a flat-out baby killer.

I just read up on the case, and it's just so sad. It's strange to revisit something that was so black and white as a child, but is so much more nuanced as an adult.

There is a special place in Hell awaiting Rusty Yates. I hope that Hell exists because of wastes of life like him.

Andrea was so sick, and the kids were caught in the middle. Do you think she is cognizant of what she did? I can't imagine living with that the rest of my life. And Rusty's living child...they're going to find out about their older siblings some day. I hope Rusty is prepared for that.

Don't be surprised if the kid finds out sooner rather than later. A suspicious child could Google their dad's name.

[ViolaSebastian]

Don't be surprised if the kid finds out sooner rather than later. A suspicious child could Google their dad's name.

Or heck, just a kid on the playground that overheard his parents talking about it could tell him. This is a case where it's definitely better to be proactive about it.

[starfish]

Does Rusty still work for NASA? I had read a few years ago that he was going to law school. I just checked and yep, he's licensed

to practice in Texas. Good grief. I hope I never run into him at a bar function.

http://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm ... tID=335834

I broke the link, but I'm not sure that was necessary.

[Julifornia]

There's no need to answer this question on the board, obviously, but who here would react to the deaths of every one of their children in the space of a few hours by remarrying and having more kids with someone else as soon as possible?

Does the world need his genetic material that much? Was he that desperate not only for companionship but for another child - one born with five dead siblings?

He is so selfish it tips into straight up narcissism - incredible, pathological narcissism. (Obviously I, being no expect, and an internet armchair observer, can't say for sure what his problem is - but he does have a deep problem, and it's so clearly a bad one.)

There was a guy in my hometown whose family got caught up in a flash flood, and while there was ample time for the family to escape the vehicle safely, they stayed put until a rush of water swept the van away, killing his wife, his four children, and a bystander who was trying to help them. He alone survived. Two of the dead children (all under age 10) had severe disabilities, so some had speculated that he'd not rushed to save them from the flood.

Anyway, as soon as three years afterward he'd married another woman and had already had two children (four so far) and goes around as a motivational speaker referring to himself as a Modern-Day Job. Everyone grieves differently, but if you could exchange an aging wife and a few defective children for a new crop of healthy kids, while garnering sympathy from a lot of observers, hey, why not?