Spreading the Blame in the Yates Case
It was a busy week for Rusty Yates. While his wife, Andrea, was being sentenced to life in prison for drowning their five children, Yates defended her in an interview on the “Today” show in New York. That night he was in Los Angeles, doing the same with Larry King of CNN. Wednesday was Oprah’s turn in Chicago.
But as he crisscrossed the nation, simmering questions about his own accountability have boiled over. Andrea’s mother and siblings told reporters that Rusty, a controlling husband who often downplayed his wife’s mental illness and shut them out, bears some responsibility for the tragedy. Andrea’s best friend, Deborah Holmes, did the same. On radio call-in shows, Internet chat rooms and newspaper editorial pages, the questions continue.
Rusty calls such claims “outrageous” and says he did all he could to care for his wife. He says he never knew his wife was so sick, and he blames the medical community for not properly diagnosing and treating her. He has threatened to sue Andrea’s doctors and insurance providers.
Soon, however, he could have legal troubles of his own. The judge in the case is still considering whether Rusty violated the gag order and should be held in contempt of court. And Harris County D.A. Chuck Rosenthal told NEWSWEEK that his staff is investigating Rusty for crimes of omission including child endangerment.
