Rusty Yates Moves On
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TV ClubHouse: Archive: Rusty Yates Moves On

Kaili

Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 07:43 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I just got the new issue of Newsweek in the mail and I thought this was kind of interesting. In the first section- the Periscope section- is an article about Rusty Yates, the husband of Andrea Yates. I'm sure everyone remembers the story- she was the woman who drowned her 3 kids.

Anyway, it says that he is now living in a luxury apartment with a fishing pond, sand beach, resort style pool, and gym. The one bedroom units in this place go for about $1,000/month. He is saying that (regarding her case) "What I spend on food and lodging is nothing compared to what I've paid in legal expenses. I've lost money in this, not made it. I've given all that I want to give."

He is still considering suing her doctor and the mental hospital that released her before the drowning, but he is also possibly planning on filing for divorce.

I remember watching this guy on the news and he always seemed kind of creepy to me. I never liked him. This article really confirmed that. What she did was really really really crappy but come on. It's just weird.

Any opinions on this?

Goddessatlaw

Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 07:53 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Plenty, but none fit to print.

Kaili

Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 08:01 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
:)

Egbok

Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 08:04 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Kaili, she drowned her 5 kids - sadly.

I don't have an opinion on Rusty Yates but whatever went on behind closed doors was intense and unfortunate for their children.

Kaili

Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 08:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Oops, I didn't realize I had the number of kids wrong.

I don't think what she did was excusable. I know there are a lot of people who do sympathize with her due to the depression thing- I have a hard time with that to be honest.

My problem with her husband is the life he is suddenly living. They lived at one point in a converted greyhound bus. The fancy condo just doesn't sit well with me. I know he said he said he has lost money and all that, but I don't know if I believe it. The quote about giving all he cares to give just doesn't sit well either. I wonder how much in donations were received by sympathizers. The fact that he wants to sue the doctor ($$$$$$) and get a divorce is just icky to me too.

Despite her horrendous actions, he made all those statements about standing by her and supporting her. Didn't last long I suppose. I understand he may want to move on with his life too. maybe it's the way the article is presented that disgusts me so much. While I don't support her, the way the article shows his current lifestyle and beliefs bugs me too.

Tester

Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 09:00 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I've always felt that he bears some responsibility for what happened.

Whowhere

Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 09:10 am EditMoveDeleteIP
He bears a lot of responsibility for what happened. IMO.

Have any of you seen this? He created it.

http://www.yateskids.org

Dahli

Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 09:12 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Does not surprise me in the least.... he is setting up a trap for the next babymaker is all, and there are plenty of women out there who will be only too willing - creep is not only an understatement but an incredibly kind term to boot.... IMHO

Squaredsc

Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 09:30 am EditMoveDeleteIP
i just can't even comment on this without getting moderated.

Silksmoke

Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 03:30 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I remember hearing him say to some reporter shortly after the trial that he had to get on with his life, and even mentioned wanting to have more children someday. It sent a shudder through me. I personally felt he should have been charged with child endangerment at least.

Ladytex

Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 08:52 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
This man deserves a place at the bottom of the food chain. He deserves to be in jail, too.

Ocean_Islands

Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 07:30 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I don't understand what your problem is with this person. Because he lives in a $1,000 condo?

Karuuna

Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 08:37 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Ocean, perhaps it's that his wife sits in jail for doing something in which he had complicity, while he's living quite a nice luxurious life in his new expensive digs.

Or maybe it's that he promised to "stand by her" because of how much he loved her; but now he's sipping mai tai's by that nice heated pool on the sand beach.

Oh wait! Maybe it's that he made his mentally ill wife live in a ratty motor home with 4 kids, while pregnant with the fifth child that the doctors recommended she shouldn't have to protect her fragile mental health. But of course, now that it's just him, posh surroundings are no problem.

I'd diagnose him for ya, but I'd get moderated.

Ocean_Islands

Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 09:21 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Well I don't particularly want to defend this person, but he is not the one who committed these crimes.

Secondly, where do you want him to live, in a hut? Where I live $1,000 is a cheap apartment.

I had more problem with him saying he was going to 'stand by' the murderer of his children. That, I thought was strange.

He certainly bears responsibility, but it is hardly 'complicity'.

Karuuna

Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 09:31 am EditMoveDeleteIP
His complicity in his wife's current situation came when he encouraged her to have more children (because HE wanted more) against the advice of the doctors.

His complicity came when he (with no background or degree in psychology) said that even tho they were advised not to have more children, HE would be able to see the signs of Andrea becoming more ill, and HE would be able to deal with it.

His ego is larger than the state of Texas. If he can afford $1000/month in rent now so HE can be comfortable, why couldn't he do more to make his wife and family comfortable instead of having them live in a remodeled bus?

Rusty Yates cares only about Rusty Yates. That's all he's ever cared about.

Babyruth

Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 10:57 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I totally agree, Kar. Well said.

Silksmoke

Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 11:09 am EditMoveDeleteIP
His monthly rent doesn't bother me. The fact that he put his children in jeopardy by leaving them with a woman who, as was reported, told him she may hurt the children is outrageous. He knew full well the depth of her dementia IMO.

When she called him, her first words from what I understand were "I finally did it", and reports said he knew immediately she had done something to the children. (I think he also asked, which one)

Mystery

Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 12:34 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I couldn't believe when this happened and I heard him say that his family had asked him to stop having children and he said no, he wanted more. Of course, what he wanted was for HER to have more and to be home with them all day while he was gone. I think he's as responsible as she is.

Jo_5329

Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 02:57 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'd comment, but I'd probably be banned from this site and the internet

Jo

Boberg

Friday, October 04, 2002 - 08:09 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I saw Rusty Yates on "The Oprah Show." His mom was also there. Mr. Yates and his mom both said that his mom had been staying with Andrea whenever Rusty was away at work. This had been going on for quite sometime when they decided to allow Andrea to be alone with the children for short periods of time as she seemed to them to be doing better. Of course we all know now that they were wrong, but the story they told on Oprah left me feeling they had been trying very hard to help Andrea...remember professionals had also thought she was doing better and had released her from the hospital. I am not trying to defend Rusty Yates..I think whether Andrea wanted more children or not that Rusty should have said NO because of her history...but I am not sure he is being fairly judged here...I work in an ICU and have seen many, many reactions to grief..people do not always react the way we expect..just my humble opinion

Machellewatches

Friday, October 11, 2002 - 04:28 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
yeah right, i will be sending my money to the defense fund.

Whit4you

Friday, October 11, 2002 - 09:17 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I think in this country today - there are probably a few hundred thousand men with women suffering the same mental conditions as she was the day prior to her killing her 5 children. Tell me where is the 'how to book' or the help available for these men today? I'd like you to refer me to a specific location for help for them... I am sure you realize they are not thinking they will lose all of their children tommorow... so this is monday-night coaching of them you know?

I personally feel like there is alot of blame to be laid here with him, with the docs. with other family members.

But he did not kill his children - his responsiblity is not much more then any of the rest of us for allowing all that goes on to go on... "I'm just one person, what can I do" mentality is what keeps us all back from making a difference. I think there are very few reading this thread who couldn't be in a position similiar to Rusty Yates in one way or another at some point in there lives... went through a remotely similiar situation myself - got help for the gal.. got in deep shi* with her hubby for trying to protect her and her family... it all turned out ok... without my intervention I don't know. But had I NOT intereviened I wouldn't blame myself for what happened - I was under a heck of alot of pressure myself... and I'd imagine a man with 5 kids to feed and a troubled wife might have been under some pressure himself. Personally I hold him partially responsible... but he has two choices... to live or not to live... living has to be his harder choice.. and why he's doing so I don't know. Hopefully it's to make his kids lives have meant something. We will see.

Suitsmefine

Friday, October 11, 2002 - 10:20 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I cannot understand how anyone who saw ANY of the interviews with him could even ATTEMPT to defend him.....He KNEW BEFORE SHE BECAME PREGNANT with the last child that she could go over the edge, yet he refused to use, or allow his wife to use birth control....He clearly did not give a flying fig what happened to her or the children!!! I'm sorry but I think he should be in a jail cell too,FoREVER!!!!If he is in fact living in the fashion this article says, well I gotta problem....He made his wife and children live in a TINY travel trailor AND HOME SCHOOL them while he went off to work and A LIFE, while his wife was in another world and trying to raise children and hold onto her sanity!!!Sorry but I just do not have any sympathy for the punk!JMHO!

Babsbunny3

Tuesday, October 29, 2002 - 06:21 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Forgive me but the home they lived in when the children were drowned was not a bus nor a trailer.
Why did he move his family to this home?

I have no desire to defend anyone and I can plainly and clearly see that for most people, ANY comment that doesn't bash Rusty to bits will be scandalous.

Also I believe that the heinous acts of Andrea Yates conjure so much emotion it will be difficult to debate without yelling and getting hurt.

I would like to say that the difficult part for me, is that many women ARE defending Andrea. At the same time they are bashing Randy. I do not think Randy is a great guy, I'm not saying that. I'm only saying that if you think Rusty is bad...how can you possibly have any tiny shred of sympathy for that woman? Yes, we can talk mental problems all day long. There are many mentally unstable women who do not kill all of their children. Most importantly in my mind, if Andrea was just spazzing out and lost control of her mind...wouldn't a screaming, clawing, scratching, begging, pleading, splashing child snap you out of it? How about two in a row? Three in a row? Four in a row? Nope. Nothing fazed her and to me that is inexplicable. It goes beyond "depression," folks. She said she was "saving" them from evil. She was the evil. She could have slit her own throat and saved them.

Kat

Tuesday, October 29, 2002 - 06:35 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I agree with Whit4you. Rusty Yates may not be the nicest guy on the planet but he did not kill his children. Andrea Yates mother knew she was ill,Rusty knew she was ill but nobody dreamed she would harm the children not even the psychiatrist that she was going to.

She did not "snap", she planned this murder the day before. She had 24 hours to tell her husband about her thoughts, to tell anyone about her thoughts. Instead she waited until she had a window (the time between her husband leaving for work and her mother in law coming to help with the children) to perform these killings. She knew she did not have much time and she took them from their breakfast to make sure she had killed them all. She chased one child through the house after he tried to escape.

The woman was mentally ill and I believe those are important factors in her crime but her husband was not at fault. When the doctor advised her to have no more children she told the doctor she wanted more children. That was a decision they both made, a foolish decision yes but one they were both responsible for.

She belongs in Jail for the rest of her life just as other mentally ill murderers do (Son of sam as an example, Charles Manson, etc)

Karuuna

Tuesday, October 29, 2002 - 08:29 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Rusty Yates moved Andrea to a house under pressure of *her* family, and their concerns for her mental stability - it was not his choice.

I think it might be helpful for some to read more about long term mental illness. It does not require a psychotic "break" for someone to do something irrational. Their daily thinking is irrational and continues to deteriorate over time. They don't just "snap" out of it, no matter what else might be going on. The very fact that Andrea thought she was saving her children from evil shows just how irrational she was. This is not the kind of mentally ill thinking that comes on suddenly, or leaves suddenly either.

Yes, Rusty was partly morally responsible for the death of his children. He is not likely legally responsible. Whether Andrea wanted more children or not, she was not capable of making a rational decision. Rusty has no such excuse for his selfishness.