ppt park dietz

STATE OF TEXAS v.

ANDREA YATES

STATE OF TEXAS v.

ANDREA YATES

Exhibits to the testimony of Park Dietz, MD, PhD

RETENTIONRETENTION

Relevant ExpertiseRelevant Expertise

Homicide

Drowning

Forensic psychiatry

Evaluation of criminal responsibility

When?When?

Contacted July 6, 2001 (16 days after homicides)

Requested all records and examination ASAP

Notified September 26, 2001, that court had signed order authorizing examination

SOURCES OF INFORMATIONSOURCES OF INFORMATION

InterviewsInterviews

Mrs. Andrea Yates, 11/6/01 and 11/7/01 (videotaped and audiotaped)

Melissa Ferguson, M.D., 11/6/01

Debra M. Osterman, M.D., 11/7/01

Mr. Russell Yates: requested but refused

Mrs. Dora Yates: requested but refused

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Holmes, 11/8/01

Videotaped Interviews by OthersVideotaped Interviews by Others

Videotape of interview of Russell Yates, 6/21/02, Channel 13

Videotape of a portion of the examination by Phillip Resnick, M.D., 7/14/01

Videotape of a portion of the examination by Lucy J. Puryear, M.D., 7/27/01

Videotape of a portion of the examination by Lucy J. Puryear, M.D., 8/10/01 Cont.

Videotaped Interviews by Others (cont.)

Videotaped Interviews by Others (cont.)

Videotape of the examination by Phillip Resnick, M.D., 11/3/01

Videotape of excerpts of an interview of Russell Yates, undated, broadcast on 60 Minutes, 12/9/01

Videotape of the examination by Lucy J. Puryear, M.D., 2/4/02

Testimony Under OathTestimony Under Oath

Grand Jury testimony of Mohammad A. Saeed, M.D., 6/25/01

Testimony of Phillip J. Resnick, M.D., 3/1/02 (afternoon)

Testimony of Lucy J. Puryear, M.D., 3/6/02 (afternoon)

Educational Records re. Defendant

Educational Records re. Defendant

Transcript from Houston Independent School District

Milby High School Yearbook, 1982

University of Houston records

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston records

Employment Records re. Defendant

Employment Records re. Defendant

Employment records, M.D. Anderson

Hospital and Tumor Institute

Social Service Records re. Defendant

Social Service Records re. Defendant

Harris County Child Protective Services

records re. Andrea Yates

Medical Records re. DefendantMedical Records re. Defendant

Ben Taub Hospital Emergency Room records, 6/17/99

Methodist Hospital records, 6/18/99 – 6/24/99

James P. Thompson, Ph.D., records

Starbranch Psychiatry Associates records, 7/1/99 – 4/3/01

Spring Shadows Glen Hospital records, 7/21/99-8/10/99

Cont.

Medical Records re. Defendant (cont.)


Samaritan Center for Counseling and Education records, 8/26/99-2/24/00

Earline Willcott, LMSW, records, 5/16/00 – 03/06/00

Devereux Texas Treatment Network records, 3/31/01–4/12/01

Devereux Texas Treatment Network records, 5/04/01–5/22/01 Cont.



Mohammad A. Saeed, M.D., records,

4/19/01 – 6/21/01

Harris County Jail medical records,

6/20/01 – 12/19/01

Investigative ReportsInvestigative Reports

Complete Houston Police Department investigative file

Tape of 911 call by Andrea Yates

Police crime scene photos

Crime scene videotape

Medical Examiner’s Office Investigation

Medical Examiner’s Office Investigation

Medical Examiner’s Office crime scene photos

Autopsy report re. Mary Deborah Yates, age 6 months, by Patricia J. Moore, D.O.

Autopsy photographs of Mary Deborah Yates

Autopsy report re. Luke David Yates, age 2, by Harminder S. Narula, M.D.

Autopsy photographs of Luke David Yates

Cont.

Medical Examiner’s Office Investigation (cont.)

Medical Examiner’s Office Investigation (cont.)

Autopsy report re. Paul Abraham Yates, age 3, by Harminder S. Narula, M.D.

Autopsy photographs of Paul Abraham Yates

Autopsy report re. John Samuel Yates, age 5, by Patricia J. Moore, D.O.

Autopsy photographs of John Samuel Yates

Autopsy report re. Noah Jack Yates, age 7, by Harminder S. Narula, M.D.

Autopsy photographs of Noah Jack Yates

StatementsStatements

Statement of Andrea Yates, 6/20/01 (tape and transcript)

Statement of Russell Edison Yates, 6/20/01 (tape and transcript)

Statement of Dora Yates, 6/20/01 (tape and transcript)

Forensic Evaluation Records re. Defendant

Forensic Evaluation Records re. Defendant

Report by Steven Rosenblatt, M.D., 6/25/01

Report by George M. Ringholz, Ph.D., M.D., undated

Unsigned report by Phillip J. Resnick, M.D., 02/27/02

Legal DocumentsLegal Documents

Texas Penal Code, Section 8.01 re. Insanity

Notice of Intent to Offer Evidence of the Insanity Defense, 7/30/01

Various Motions

Miscellaneous DocumentsMiscellaneous Documents

March – June 2001 Chronology prepared

by Debbie Holmes

The Perilous Times, Series: 2000-1J

FINDINGSFINDINGS

Differential DiagnosisDifferential Diagnosis

Major Depression with Psychotic Features

Schizophrenia

Schizoaffective Disorder

Any of these is a severe mental disease

Contextual Factors: 1999Contextual Factors: 1999

Living in a bus with her husband, a newborn, and three other children

Began home schooling

Feeling depressed and overwhelmed, she asked her husband for help, but got medical attention only upon taking an overdose (June)

Treated at Ben Taub, admitted to Methodist Hospital (June)

Cont.

Contextual Factors: 1999 (cont.)Contextual Factors: 1999 (cont.)

Flushed Zyprexa (July)

Threatened to cut herself with a knife (July)

Admitted to Spring Shadows Glen Hospital (July-August)

ECT recommended by Drs. Thompson and Rios; Mr. and Mrs. Yates refused (August)

Moved into a house (August)Cont.


Against medical advice, secretly went off

all medication (November)


Against medical advice, became pregnant (February)

Against medical advice, failed to take medication during pregnancy

Had 5th child, Mary (November)

Against medical advice, failed to take medication postpartum

Continued to home school


Her father fell (January) and declined until his death (March)

Admitted to Devereux (March)

Filled bathtub with water (May)

Admitted to Devereux (May)

Dr. Saeed recommended ECT; Mr. and Mrs. Yates refused (May) Cont.


Dr. Saeed told Mr. Yates that someone must be with his wife (April)

Denied delusions or hallucinations countless times when asked by MDs

Two delusions (cameras and television) known only to Mr. and Mrs. Yates, were kept secret from all doctors (August 1999-June 2001)


Mrs. Yates was left alone with the children

Knowledge of WrongfulnessKnowledge of Wrongfulness

Pre-Homicide PhasePre-Homicide Phase

Believed Satan put the thought in her mind to drown the children and encouraged her to do so

Concealed from everyone her thoughts of harming the children and her plan to drown the children

Waited for an opportunity when no one was home so that she would not be stopped from drowning the children

Cont.

Pre-Homicide Phase (cont.)Pre-Homicide Phase (cont.)

Believed that killing the children would be sinful and would be the last of the Seven Deadly Sins for her to commit

Believed she was not raising the children properly, did not pay enough attention to them, and that they might get in trouble

Pre-Homicide Phase (cont.)Pre-Homicide Phase (cont.)

? May have believed the children were being tormented by Satan or going to hell, but didn’t try nonlethal ways of protecting them and never mentioned this until the day after the homicides

? May have believed Satan was in her, but did not seek help for this problem

Homicide PhaseHomicide Phase

Knew she would be arrested and put in jail

Knew what she was doing was illegal

Knew society would judge her actions as “bad”

Knew God would judge her actions as “bad”

Knew it was wrong to kill the children (Michael Stephens, Dr. Rosenblatt)

Cont.

Homicide Phase (cont.)Homicide Phase (cont.)

? May have covered each body between homicides to conceal the previous homicides from the surviving children

? May have believed she was saving the children from torment or hell, but did not try to comfort them during the homicides

? May have believed Satan was in her or that she was Satan

Post-Homicide PhasePost-Homicide Phase

Covered the faces of all the bodies in the bed, indicating guilt and shame

Called 911 and asked for the police because “that’s who you call . . . when you’ve done something wrong,” and she thought she had done something wrong

Told Sgt. Mehl she wanted to be punished and was prepared to go to hell for what she had done

Cont.

Post-Homicide Phase (cont.)Post-Homicide Phase (cont.)

Told Sgt. Mehl she wanted to be punished by the criminal justice system for what she had done and asked when her trial would be

At some point believed her execution would kill Satan, but she first mentioned this on 6/21/01

OpinionsOpinions

At the Time of Drowning Each Child:


Mrs. Yates knew that her actions were wrong in the eyes of the law

Mrs. Yates knew that her actions were wrong in the eyes of society

Mrs. Yates knew that her actions were wrong in the eyes of God



? Mrs. Yates may have believed that the killings were in the best interests of the children and that the ends (saving the children) justified the means (wrongly and illegally killing them)