How could this be?? Andrea Yates found NOT GUILTY of murdering her children...

Houston- Four years ago, Andrea Yates was convicted of the murder of her five children. The jury rejected the claims made by Mrs. Yates' defense that she was apparently so psychotic that she thought she was helping the souls of her five children by drowning them in a bathtub one by one. Unfortunately an appeals court overturned the conviction, the apparent result of a false testimony from a prosecution witness.

Today Mrs. Yates was found NOT GUILTY by reason of insanity. She will be committed to a mental hospital until she is no longer deemed a threat, at which point she will be released. Had she been convicted, she would instead be facing a life-long prison sentence.

The children were murdered in June of 2001 (I was getting ready for freshman year of college then). Her defense claimed she was in a delusional state and she believed Satan was inside her and by killing her own children she would somehow save them from hell. Her children were Noah (age 7), John (age 5), Paul (age 3), Luke (age 2), and Mary (age 6 monthes).

Where is the justice for these children? Their innocent lives were cut short by the person whose job was first and foremost to protect them. Like all children, Mrs. Yates' children certainly must have given her their unconditional love. Children are always vulnerable because they cannot contend for themselves, but they should never be vulnerable at home. Mrs. Yates gave those children the gift of life only to strip it from them in a cruel, horrible fashion. The fact that this woman can get away with the flimsy insanity defense after she was found guilty is a mockery of our criminal justice system. Anyone can act insane if they're desparate enough. The reason the insanity defense is a farce is because everyone has instances where they go crazy inside. We all entertain thoughts of doing something crazy at one point or another. We get mad, or depressed or think we hear some voices, whatever, but the difference is that most people have the ability to restrain such feelings. God gave us free will so that when situations like this arise, we have the ability to make the right decision.

I would bet anything that if this had been a man that had murdered his own children, there would be no debate...he would be locked up and the key would be thrown away. Why is it different for a man and a woman? Either way the crime is deplorable, despicable and down right disgusting. If Mrs. Yates were a minority, do you think she would have gotten off with the insanity defense? Hell no. I am just honestly disgusted and ashamed, as an American citizen, of this whole thing.

What happens when the child-murderer is released from the mental hospital? Does she go back to her husband? Will she be somehow forced to think about her children everyday for the rest of her life? I hope so. Will her tubes be tied so that she couldn't have children anymore? I hope they at least do that much so that no more children have to have their last breaths with their lungs filled with water. Will she be banned from adopting children? She better be. Hell, she better have a restraining order around any children. I know that if I were somehow related to her, my children would not ever go anywhere near her, ever.

I guess I will conclude this by saying that I wish I were on the jury for that case. If I were, I know we'd all be sleeping easier at night knowing a convicted murderer was in her proper place...behind bars. And the souls of her children would be at ease, knowing that their justice had been served.