January is so last month, so let's finish my one thousandth post celebration by going to #1 on the top of the pops chart. I don't know why this post is my most popular ever. Maybe because people Google the name Rusty "I Am An Asshole" Yates, and sometimes my opinion of him pops up. I never thought this bit of writing that I churned out rather quickly would spread far and wide, but it continues to draw comments, most of them anonymous and unpublished by me.
Originally published on August, 8th, 2011, here is RUSTY YATES: I DETEST YOU after 6,925 page views:
On June 20, 2001, I turned on the television news and saw an average-looking man walking quickly but calmly toward a house. As I recall, he stopped briefly to speak to reporters.What was going on?
The man's name was Rusty Yates. His wife, Andrea, had just drowned their five children and then called the police to report her crime. The Yates had been married for eight years.
Yes, five children born in eight years.
Are you there alone? the 911 operator asked Andrea. Oh, yes, she was there alone.
Andrea Yates was taken away by the police, her hair still wet from holding the children down in the bathtub she used to drown them.
Andrea went on trial and was found guilty. Poor Rusty. He had no idea she was dangerous.
But the truth will out. Andrea suffered from post-partum depression. The Yates had been warned they should not have more children. But their religious beliefs stated otherwise. They should have as many children as nature would allow them to have. So Rusty convinced Andrea to go off her psychiatric medication and become pregnant with her final child, Mary. Four boys and a girl.
Another part of their religious beliefs was giving away most of their possessions and living in a small trailer for a time, before baby Mary was born. Andrea's family eventually pressured Rusty into buying a house for his wife and children.
Ignoring this warning, Rusty decided that Andrea should be alone with the children every morning for an hour after he left for work and for an hour every evening. It was good for her, he decided. She shouldn't become dependent on other people to take care of her children.
- So although Rusty's mother was in town to help care for the children, she remained in her hotel room after Rusty left for work on June 20th, 2001. Andrea used the opportunity to drown the children. She believed Satan was in her and the children were not developing properly. They were destined for hell with her as their mother. So she saved them by killing them before she could make their lives any worse.
Andrea was tried, found guilty, and then eventually found not guilty by reason of insanity. She left prison for a mental hospital. With the relative stability of life in prison and the hospital, doctors realized she suffered from severe post-partum psychosis.
But why didn't Rusty go to prison for child endangerment? Why didn't Rusty go to prison as an accomplice to murder? He knew. The man knew his wife was desperately ill, but it would be good for her to be alone with the children. It would be good for her.
Four years later Rusty divorced the wife he had failed to protect, just as he had failed to protect his children from a severely ill mother.
"At the time, I didn't think she was dangerous. None of us did."
"Man is the breadwinner, and woman is the homemaker. It's the way it's been for years."
--Russell Yates
David J. Phillip / AP
Rusty Yates opens the car door for his new bride Laura Arnold as they leave the Clear Lake Church of Christ after being married on Saturday.Rusty has a new wife. They have a son.
- Rusty has a new wife. They have a son.
Excellent post and you are not the first one to wonder why he's free to go about getting married again and starting a new family. He smooth talked his way out of any wrong doing didn't he? Bastard. I said what you said right away when this case became public. I new she was post-partum. My mother had 5 kids and there were days she was scary just from the everyday stuff!
ReplyDeleteRusty Yates is an egotist who did little to care for his wife and children. He ignored his responsibilities as husband and father. He was not involved in every day care of his small children and was very cruel and insensitive in making hs family live in a 350 ft bus (...!) and in forcing his wife to home school their children in that bus. I mean... Puleeze...Who lives like that? He was an utterly uncaring father and husband and he did not care about the welfare of his wife and family. Now he has divorced his wife and remarried...How do you think that makes Andrea feel? Rusty goes on interviews to make himself look like an innocent husband and father who loved his children and wife: BALONEY! Love is as love does!! He wasn't on the scene: Andrea was. And he criticized her for being a bad mother!! How I rejoice that this chameleon will stand before God and give an account!! He needs to hang his head in ignominy.
DeleteRusty Yates is an egotist who did little to care for his wife and children. He ignored his responsibilities as husband and father. He was not involved in every day care of his small children and was very cruel and insensitive in making hs family live in a 350 ft bus (...!) and in forcing his wife to home school their children in that bus. I mean... Puleeze...Who lives like that? He was an utterly uncaring father and husband and he did not care about the welfare of his wife and family. Now he has divorced his wife and remarried...How do you think that makes Andrea feel? Rusty goes on interviews to make himself look like an innocent husband and father who loved his children and wife: BALONEY! Love is as love does!! He wasn't on the scene: Andrea was. And he criticized her for being a bad mother!! How I rejoice that this chameleon will stand before God and give an account!! He needs to hang his head in ignominy.
DeleteRusty Yates is an egotist who did nothing to care for his small children on a daily basis. He insisted the family live in a 350 ft bus and that his overwhelmed wife homeschool those small children in that bus. I mean...Puleeze....Who lives like that? Talk about stress!!!!! He goes on these speaking circuits in order to try and assuage the guilt he feels and try to make himself look non-culpable. He insisted his wife have another child. What a cruel, insensitive man he is. And now he has divorced his wife. Why? Because he never really stood by her in the first place. How I rejoice that he will stand before God!!
DeleteThanks Barb. I'm glad I'm not alone. Rusty has made me sick ever since the moment I saw him walking so calmly to his house and talking to reporters, always insisting he stood by his wife. He stood by her when he wanted to look good. The rest of the time he just plain didn't care and that's why those children died.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Lola
That lady had mental problem before he meant her. This country does not do anything about mental health. The court want help, or family members, they know these people have problem , but everyone conceal their mental health of family members. You guys act like you care , that's unfortunate .
DeleteI've seen many cases where women have been charged with endangerment for leaving their kids with men who killed them.
ReplyDeleteI also always wondered how Rusty got away with it.
Seems sexist and unfair, to me.
Thank you for the great post. I will always wonder why he was not charged right along with her. He knew better.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know, because she was a female. A lot of women are mentally unstable, but get away with killing kids, when their family conceal their health information ask HIPPA
DeleteRusty Yates was and is an imbecile. He never cared about his wife or his children. Imagine living in a converted school bus raising 5 kids under 6years old--- not being allowed to use disposable diapers as it was sinful--- homeschooling-------add to the mix she was caring for her demented father who died. Praise the Lord and pass the Haldol. This man is a stupid, self serving, demented religious zealot who is still running free ! How sad.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have said it better myself. WOW, The guy makes me want to puke. Thank you for your post.
DeleteTexas has a misogynistic, sick, and twisted justice system.
DeleteThose poor children. Rusty Yates is the guilty party in this hideous crime. He used Andrea like a brood mare, knowing she was severely mentally ill. He and his religious beliefs are responsible for this tragedy. I pray for Andrea and I pray for the innocent little children. Randy Yates should burn in hell.
ReplyDeleteHe obviously has no shame..but we all pay for what we do. His day will come. I wonder if the new Mrs. Yates is having babies like Andrea did? Or does he all of a sudden believe in birth control? Shame on the law for not holding him responsible! There is a double standard here. He's probably laughing and making money of this tragedy everytime he goes on talk shows.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. Rusty Yates bears a HUGE responsibility for the death of his children. I also wondered why he was not charged when the truth of actions came out.
ReplyDeleteYes it is sad that he's free to go on with his life,when he knew his wife was mentally ill..
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he controls the new wife as he did Andrea. He is/was a NASA Scientist and knew just how psychotic his wife was.
ReplyDeleteNow he has his freedom...or does he?
One can only hope that Andrea will realize she was not to blame and will find peace. We all know who the guilty party is and his judgment day will come. I cannot believe someone was sick enough to marry the man after all that happened. Wonder what the new children will think about their father (if they can think for themselves) when they grow up!
ReplyDelete100% agree
DeleteSo glad I'm not the only one that finds him criminally negligent. His narcissim and self-righteousness was very much a factor in this tragedy.
ReplyDeleteAnd here we find the crowd that wants to charge a man with killing his five kids even though he was at work. America's got a lot of problems, not the least of which is the fervor of people demanding their version of justice. The guy is a religious weirdo and he was definitely a piece of crap for a husband and father, but he committed no crime. Wash your foaming mouths you rabid freaks.
ReplyDeleteMatt: There are laws concerning criminal negligence and reckless endangerment that certainly do apply in this case. There is failure to protect. Randy Yates insisted that his wife go off of her psychosis medication, against doctor's recommendations, to become pregnant for the fifth time, also against doctor's recommendations. Randy Yates insisted that his psychotic, suicidal wife remain alone, against doctors' recommendations, in the house with his five children, even after she'd filled the tub and made comments alluding to her intent to drown them the very day before. Rusty Yates is guilty of failure to protect his children. Rusty Yates is guilty of reckless endangerment of his children. He might as well have hired a hitman to come in and slay them--only he didn't have to. He knew it was only a matter of time before Andrea snapped. And he did everything in his power to push her beyond her limits. Up until the fifth child was born he had himself, his wife and four children living in a bus. That would have been extremely difficult for a healthy mother to cope with, let alone a clinically depressed, psychotic, suicidal mother. Incidentally, calling people with consciences rabid freaks indicates that you should probably refrain from entering into rational conversation.
DeleteMatt: There are laws concerning criminal negligence and reckless endangerment that certainly do apply in this case. There is failure to protect. Randy Yates insisted that his wife go off of her psychosis medication, against doctor's recommendations, to become pregnant for the fifth time, also against doctor's recommendations. Randy Yates insisted that his psychotic, suicidal wife remain alone, against doctors' recommendations, in the house with his five children, even after she'd filled the tub and made comments alluding to her intent to drown them the very day before. Rusty Yates is guilty of failure to protect his children. Rusty Yates is guilty of reckless endangerment of his children. He might as well have hired a hitman to come in and slay them--only he didn't have to. He knew it was only a matter of time before Andrea snapped. And he did everything in his power to push her beyond her limits. Up until the fifth child was born he had himself, his wife and four children living in a bus. That would have been extremely difficult for a healthy mother to cope with, let alone a clinically depressed, psychotic, suicidal mother. Incidentally, calling people with consciences rabid freaks indicates that you should probably refrain from entering into rational conversation.
DeleteThank you for saying what I've said a along.. He makes me Ill. How about not getting her pregnant anymore as its well documented that pps progresses with each pregnancy? Getting her help etc etc etc.
ReplyDeleteSeeing his smiling face makes me sick.
Poor Andrea, poor kids.
What a piece of sh*t Rusty Yates is. Made her go off her medication in order to force her to breed despite knowing it was going to make her sicker. Can one be anymore of a narcissist?
ReplyDeleteThis post didn't even show up in my reader yet, JJ. I came over to make sure I wasn't missing anything on your blog and, as it turned out, I was. You and Mrs. Shady are very much alike. She shares your opinion of Russell Yates and his culpability in the deaths of his children. So do I. If you watch Dateline, 48 Hours, 20/20 and similar programs, you know there are far too many men like Rusty in our society. They seize control, call all the shots and keep their desperate wives and children under their thumbs. Thank you for speaking out about this case and congratulations on reaching the 1,000 post milestone. On my chart, you're #1 with a bullet, dear friend!
ReplyDeleteRusty Yates has a lot in common with X.
DeleteIt is bizarre that another woman was on board after hearing this story. Can you imagine the first date conversation? "Have you ever been married?... Oh, you have?... She what now? And you what?... Uhhhh sure, I'd love dessert."
ReplyDeleteSorry to make light, but it is the only way I can process something so horrifying.
I can't imagine becoming involved with such a person, but a lot of women write letters to serial killers, offering to marry them. Ted Bundy received a great deal of "fan" mail.
DeleteI feel the exact same way on the Yates case. There's an interesting case going to trial in Florida... I'm sure you know, you're in Florida. Julie Schenecker.
ReplyDelete(This hasn't shown up on blogger yet.)
I don't know anything about her (yes, I really don't watch the news). When I'm lazy and just change the date on a post, then it doesn't show up in the blog roll.
DeleteDear Janie, this tragedy must have been broadcast back in 2011, but I don't remember hearing about it. I share your outrage. All these years in which women have made strides and still they are not paid as much as men and more importantly they are not equal in the sight of the police. For many figures in authority, women are still the Eve-like temptresses; they are still the ones who are at fault when anything goes wrong in a marriage. And so Andrea Yates, for me, is a symbol of womanhood in the world today. A symbol of the tragic response of society. Thank you for reposting this, Janie. Peace.
ReplyDeleteThe "mental health" care Andrea Yates received while married was inadequate and so awful. At times she was catatonic when she saw a psychiatrist or therapist, so Rusty would answer questions for her. Insurance limited the number of times she could see mental health professionals. Andrea Yates most definitely is a symbol of womanhood, and one we should keep in mind.
DeleteI must add that when Andrea was found guilty, it was because a psychiatrist lied on the stand and said a TV show had an episode about a woman who drowned her children and got off with an insanity plea. There was no such TV episode. When it was proven that the TV show didn't exist, Andrea was released to a mental hospital.
DeleteIt wasn't that simple. There was another trial after that. Also, to Pickelope, everyone who works in the aerospace industry at the time this happened knew of him and what his wife had done. We could see him in the halls at NASA. The woman who married him was a contractor for NASA. She didn't have to question him to find out anything. I do agree with everything everyone has said about him. He is a very strange man and the marriage he's in now may not be working out either.
DeleteI've never seen so many "Anonymous" comments on your blog before! I'm with Pickleope. The first thing I thought was, "Why is this seemingly-beautiful woman with this FREAK???" I don't understand those women who are fixated on serial killers either. Of course, there are so many things I don't understand.....
ReplyDelete-andi
And I've deleted the majority of the anonymous comments.
DeleteWhat is wrong with anonymous comments??? Weird. Whatever.
DeletePeople like that have no business having kids!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, but a woman who is psychotic can't make an informed decision. She has bipolar disorder and alternated between extreme mania and horrible depression, exacerbated by post-partum depression.
DeletePeople her husband was not a mental health doctor. A lot of people assume ,that they would have done this or that, When you are dealing with someone with mental health it is hard. The only way you can help them is when they are harming themselves or others, and that's too late. A lot of families conceal mental health because of the stigma.
DeleteThank you, and welcome.
ReplyDeleteI remember this. And I thought he should have been charged with something, too!! He knew. He was warned. Good luck to the new wife. But...speaking of being forewarned...
ReplyDeleteHe's been married for a few years now. They may have a dozen children because of his belief system. Excessive religiosity is a symptom of mania, so I can understand why Andrea was confused and did wrong. What reason does Rusty have?
DeleteI don't know how I missed this post. I have a good friend (a prison chaplain) who is now close to Andrea. She says Andrea is a warm, loving, intelligent woman who has huge anguish inside her. I agree with you. He should have been prosecuted.
ReplyDeleteOh, Shelly. That breaks my heart. She has to live with what she did, while Rusty can spend the rest of his life doing whatever he wants. I wish I could put my arms around her and protect her. I read an excellent book about her case some years ago. I think it was called "Are You There Alone?". It bothers me so much that he thought it was good for her to be alone with the children when he'd been told she shouldn't be, just as X would go off and leave me with all sorts of worries and problems (mental and physical) to handle alone because he said it was good for me. He nearly drove me to my death. I wonder if that's common with selfish men - that they think it's good for women to suffer and not be dependent on help no matter how desperate the situation.
DeleteI'm not really anonymous, I just don't know what to do with all the choices you provide. I was so angry all those years ago that no one did anything about Rusty Yates, but put his long suffering wife away for how long! Now he's married again! Is he still the "boss of her" or does this woman stand up for herself? He deserves prison for what he did not only to his first wife but his first five children!!
ReplyDeleteI also am so pissed he wasn't held accountable-he is in my opinion more guilty than his wife and his flippin religious BS certainly went by the wayside when he divorced her to marry again and have more children-asshole!
ReplyDeleteI feel so bad for Andrea! So he leaves his wife alone with his kids, she does all the chores and he "provides" for them. As far as I know, I believe that shared responsibilities will work well with the family. So he wants more kids, he should have been sterilised before he got married again. What a tragedy!!! :(
ReplyDeleteIf the U.S./Texas legal & psychatric system hasn't helped Andrea, why after all these years hasn't her educated & religious (ex)husband at least offered a humane "apology" for not adequately caring for her illness & fatherly protection of their children who are now angels in heaven looking down on them both? It's never to late to ask for forgiveness.
ReplyDeleteWow..life is good for Rusty Yates..still being able to have a life, wife, sex and other good things..hope he ask wife no 2. to try living in a trailer and see how long that last..poor Andrea..must be hard to know that ur husband has moved on..wonder if he knows about family planning now..
ReplyDeleteI notice that Oprah Winfrey had Yates on her "Where are they Now"? program. I look back on the entire story and my heart aches for Andrea and those 5 children. Rusty Yates is more responsible for that tragedy than he would ever admit. His so called religious fanaticism, having his family live in an old school bus is insane. And has he ever apologized for his actions or lack of actions? No. He divorces his wife, remarries and has another child. Sickens me. I truly hope his current wife takes a damn good look at him and leaves with their child.
ReplyDeleteDoes Texas have CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES? If so ,aren't Medical Professionals suppose to report cases like this? Rusty Yates is also not competent to be left alone with children.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletei've always seen Rusty as the perpetrator, from the beginning -- they were a quiverfull family over a decade before the term came into being. but, no, Rusty wouldn't blame himself or his religious beliefs -- he blames the doctors, the medications (or lack thereof); i.e., he blames science, not religion. this being Texas, he's correct. so Andrea Yates is punished for the failures of Science, while Rusty escapes the long arm of the law for the crimes of Religion ... he, the paterfamilias, who made all the decisions, decided to have that superfluous child despite warnings not to, decided to have their mother homeschool them despite warnings not to leave them alone with their mother, etc., etc. in a just world, both parents would be imprisoned, with the father's being the harsher sentence.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of the above. I also noticed that mr religious got himself a new, hot you
ReplyDeleteng second wife, and his "ride" from the wedding is a shiney red corvette convertible, didn't jesus frown on gross exhibitions of materialism? I mean what happened to eschewing all material possessions and cramming that poor, ill, misused first wife and brood of kids in a converted bus? He should be behind bars and not andrea. What's worse is he's moved on with his life with a clear conscience, I bet he sleeps like a baby, speaking of which, shouldn't he have at least three more kids by now with another on the way, yet unless I've missed it he has just one, what a hypocrite.
Rusty Yates is a lazy, male - chauvanist who ordered his wife around to take care of 5 small children as they lived in terrible conditions. (Rusty was an engineer who made good money. ) Christian women must be taught to not obey a husband who does not provide adequately for her and the children.Imagine living in a trailer and taking care of 5 small children - having been forced by your husband to bear children incessantly. People should spit on this religious fanatic and his fanatical beliefs. He caused the whole problem . Then - this coward didn't even stay married to poor Andrea but divorced her! What a PIG! May God judge him severly!! This man is NOT a Cgristian!
ReplyDeleteI'm a sinner, as we all are. But Rusty Yates has never repented for overburdening his wife whom he knew to be suicidal and suffering from extreme post-partum depression. Instead, he wanted her off her meds so she could get pregnant again. He gave an interview explaining why he divorced his wife, explaining he could never feel safe with her again. Really, Russ? And who helped push her over the edge in the first place? Now he has put aside his faithful wife—the one who crumbled mentally as a direct result of being obedient to his will—that he might pursue his fleshly desires for a new wife and more children.
ReplyDeleteAs a Christian, I sure would have liked to heard words like, "I screwed up. I neglected my responsibility to care for my wife, abused my headship over her, twisted God's command to be fruitful and multiply as an excuse to deny my wife the opportunity to overcome her post-partum depression and to pursue the medical treatment she so desperately needed. I sinned in pride and arrogance, presuming myself more knowledgeable than the doctors who were treating her, and I LIED when I promised to never allow her to be alone with the children. I made my goal of a large family an idol, and got caught up in my visions of playing patriarch to a full quiver. I share blame for the death of Andrea's and my children."
I would call this "man" a pig however, that would be an insult to pigs... he's certainly come up in the world.... from a Greyhound to a 'vette..... and the shiny, young, blonde trophy wife!!! WOW! Talk show speaking fees and the NASA salary, NICE! Curious.... Andrea was a registered nurse w/a career before him, yet she wasn't allowed to work, just breed. Wonder why the cutely trophy wife is allowed an autonomous life of her own, career, one child.... you know, NORMAL! Seems like quite the about face.... this guy knew EXACTLY what he was doing and found a flawed (no insult here) woman he could manipulate and control. Add in a GENEROUS dose of "religion" from a male "minister", step back and watch the fireworks... this is typical of these alt-right, religious ass$&les that feel THEY should be the moral arbiters of society. Wouldn't spit on this guy if he was on fire!!
ReplyDeletePerhaps my comment comes a little late,but this subject has recently retired my attention.I occopied myself with the case,read books,internet,etc.I am a nurse and I worked with psychiatric ill people.And in fact,the first thought that came to me,was:why te hell the husband was never being accused???He knew of the trouble and the mess and the work Andrea had with 5 children.He knew after their 3. child,that Andrea was suffering at least from a severe depression which turned into postpartum psychosis.Why did he made her a 4.and a 5. child?They even planned to have a 6.one!!!I'm sorry,but in this story,the husbund is suffering from an egoistic-narcisstic personality disorder.He always left Andrea alone with all the work.She wasn't allowed to go out an make friends with other women/mothers.Why didn't Mr.Yates engage a part-time nanny and a woman to do the housecleaning 1 time a week?Why wasn't Andrea allowed to use pampers but had to use and wash all that shitty old survived cotton "shorts" for babies???Why weten't the kids sent to school?Where in all this years was the responsibility of Mr.Yates?In my eyes he played the idiot,the one who never thought,Andrea would harm the children.But he knew exactly.Many times,doctors advised him.But he let it just happen.If I come home from work an I see my wife trembling with scratches all over her body an her head which she did to torture herself,believing she was a bad mother and having hallucinations about knives and satan-and I'm ignoring all this-THEN I am as guilty as the person who finally drowned the children.Poor Andrea,I pray for you and your children-you better had to kill your selfish husband.You would still have to stand trial etc.,but your children would be alive an no one of the dumb-asses outside would ever tell things like:"this woman is satan in person" or "the lethal injection without a trial".Poeple-think,before you open your mouth.An go through all of what Andrea went through and let's see how YOU would have managed this alone in a state of severe illness.And THEN we'll discuss the subject again
ReplyDeleteWell said.
DeleteP.s.please don't pay attention to my orthography...I'll never manage to type correctly on these smartphones :))
ReplyDelete