Prosecution Rests, Defense Begins In Yates Case
Jurors Hear Yates Confess To Drowning Kids
![]() VIDEO INFORMATION SLIDESHOW FEEDBACK POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION |
Yates Taped Confession
Yates had only one question for a police sergeant after she confessed to plunging each of her five children face down in a bathtub full of water until they drowned."She wanted to know when her trial would be," Sgt. Eric Mehl testified Thursday, on the fourth day of the 37-year-old woman's capital murder trial for the deaths of three of her five children in June.In her taped confession to Mehl, played before the jury Thursday, Yates says her intent was to suffocate her children.In the taped confession, Yates details for Mehl how she chased her oldest son, 7-year-old Noah, before forcing him into the same water she used to drown her four younger children."How long have you been having thoughts about wanting, or not wanting to, but drowning your children?" Mehl asked during the interview."Probably since I realized I have not been a good mother to them," Yates responded."What makes you say that?" the police officer asked."They weren't developing correctly," Yates said.She recounted the details of the deadly morning to Mehl in a flat, monotone voice. Yates also told him that she had filled the tub two months earlier with the intention of drowning the children, but didn't go through with it.Defense attorneys claimed during opening statements earlier this week that Yates filled the tub the first time while suffering a delusion that had caused her to become concerned about the family's water supply.Unlike earlier Thursday, when Yates sobbed as photos of her dead children were shown to jurors, she showed no emotion as the tape was played.Yates explains on the audiotape how she filled the tub 3 inches from the top and then began calling her children into the bathroom.Six-month-old Mary was on the floor crying as three of her older brothers, one after the other, struggled to keep from being held beneath the water's surface.Yates told Mehl she first called 3-year-old Paul into the bathroom. Once he was dead, Yates placed him on a bed in a back bedroom, covering him with a sheet.She did the same with 2-year-old Luke, then 5-year-old John.When she called her oldest child, Noah, into the bathroom, her infant daughter's body was still floating in the tub.Noah struggled the most, gasping for air as his mother forced him beneath the surface.Yates took Mary's lifeless body to the bed where her three brothers lay, leaving Noah floating face down in the tub.Then she dialed 911.Dr. Patricia J. Moore, a medical examiner who performed autopsies on John and Mary, testified the children's heads had small bruises, likely from someone holding them under water.Moore said John had a long brown hair, likely one of his mother's, clutched in his fist.- February 21, 2002: Andrea Yates Sobs In Courtroom
- February 20, 2002: More Emotional Testimony Expected In Yates Case Today
- February 19, 2002: Police Testimony Continues In Yates Case
- February 18, 2002: Yates Murder Trial Under Way
- February 17, 2002: Houston Mom's Murder Trial Begins Monday
- February 15, 2002: Author Sues Judge In Yates Trial
- January 28, 2002: Lawyers Pick 12 Jurors In Yates Case
- January 22, 2002: Lawyers Look For Final 4 Jurors In Yates Case
- January 21, 2002: Yates' Book Due Out This Week
- January 14, 2002: Many Jurors Want To Serve On Yates Case
- January 9, 2002: Attorneys Pick 2 Jurors In Yates Case
- January 8, 2002: Jury Selection Begins In Yates' Case
- December 10, 2001: Russell Yates Speaks Despite Gag Order
- December 3, 2001: Houston Mom's Attorneys Fight Death Penalty
- September 22, 2001: Jurors To Continue Deliberations Saturday In Yates Case
- September 20, 2001: Nurse: 'Houston Mother Improving'
- August 24, 2001: NOW Sets Up Fund For Houston Mom
- August 10, 2001: Defense Fund Set Up For Houston Mother
- August 9, 2001: Houston Mother Could Face Death Penalty
- July 31, 2001: Texas Mother Indicted In 5 Kids' Deaths
- June 28, 2001: Houston Father Buries His 5 Children
- June 23, 2001: Reporter: Houston Mom Planned Murders
Copyright 2007 by Click2Houston.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.







A doctor and several clinic owners have been accused of illegally distributing pills, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A 16-year-old boy who police said made an announcement at Walmart ordering all black people in the southern New Jersey store to leave was charged with harassment and bias intimidation, authorities said Saturday.
A man found shot in a west Houston neighborhood has been identified as a former Houston attorney, KPRC Local 2 reports.
Galveston Island is being overwhelmed with fake $100 bills and business owners are being warned to be on the lookout, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A man found guilty of killing a Memorial High School student during a spring break party is sentenced to prison, KPRC Local 2 reports.
March 19, 2010: A doctor and several clinic owners have been accused of illegally distributing pills. Mary Benton reports.
Bullock won't promote "The Blind Side" in London citing personal problems after her husband allegedly has an affair.
March 18, 2010: A mother, aunt and teenager daughter have been accused of going on a shoplifting spree as a family. Nefertiti Jaquez reports.
Check out these 1960s and 1970s rock stars and see how they have aged.
Two big rigs collide and shut down a La Porte highway, KPRC Local 2 reports.
This rough ride is an honor to a little boy who held on for dear life, for almost eight seconds.
Are some of today's biggest stars too sexy for their hair? We'll let you be the judge by exposing the scalps of some famous bald stars.



















