Yates, Andrea

Andrea (Kennedy) Yates, born July 2, 1964, is known for killing her five children, who ranged in age from 6 months to 7 years. She methodically drowned them in the family bathtub in their suburban home in Houston, Texas, on June 20, 2001. After wrapping the bodies in sheets and placing them on the bed, she called the police and confessed.

Yates was psychotic at the time of the murders, but she claims that her major motive was altruistic. She was under the delusion that killing her children by sending them to God would save them from evil. She told investigators that she was not an appropriate mother and that her children were not “developing correctly.” Since they “could never be saved” and were doomed to ...