Jailed Houston Mom Not Pregnant
Patty
Judge Issues Gag Order
KPRC-Channel 2 Houston
HOUSTON, 12:49 a.m. EDT June 27, 2001 -- A Clear Lake mother who admitted to drowning her
five children last week had a pregnancy test administered while she's in custody, but a
source told KPRC TV Tuesday that Yates is not pregnant.
The results of the pregnancy test given to Yates came back negative, according to the
unnamed source.
Speculation swirled all day about the possibility of Yates being pregnant with her sixth
child.
The station asked Yates' attorney George Parnham earlier about reports of the test and
suspicions that she may in fact be pregnant.
Parnham said that the so-called reports were "a rumor."
"(There is) absolutely zero evidence, I'm aware of, that it's true," Parnham told KPRC.
Yates did not claim to be pregnant when she was first taken into custody, according to a
KPRC report.
The results, which are usually available within 3 minutes of the test being administered,
will not be released for a few days, Wednesday at the earliest.
The results of any test given to an inmate is confidential, and therefore, the sheriff's
department won't comment.
"I'm not going to talk about any medical condition she may or may not have acclaimed,"
Robert Van Pelt of the Harris County sheriff's office said. "That's privileged
information. That's confidential information. I'm not going to discuss it."
In the meantime, Judge Belinda Hill issued a gag order to keep lawyers from talking about
the case.
She said that she is worried the extensive news coverage will make it hard to find an
impartial jury.
Yates' attorneys objected to the motion and said that the gag order isn't needed.
Hill overruled their request.
Yates' lawyers left court Tuesday announcing that they can no longer talk publicly.
"We are under a gag order," attorney Wendell Odom said. "We are not allowed to talk. We
(have) no more specifics."
Hill made the ruling Tuesday morning and scheduled another hearing for 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Prior to the gag order, Parnham made the talk show rounds, indicating that his defense
will be a plea of insanity.
"(She was) hearing voices, (having) hallucinations and delusions," Parnham said on one
talk show. "(She was) not in a real world."
Yates was checked into a mental health ward June 20.
Pregnancy tests are routinely given to women in custody before medication is given.
Yates' family told KPRC that if she is carrying a child, they are unaware of it. They
would not comment further.
Most Houstonians believe that a convicted woman's pregnancy should not be a factor in
determing whether to seek the death penalty.
An exclusive KPRC flash poll shows that 54 percent said that a pregnancy should not affect
a prosecutor's decision.
However, 38 percent of people polled by Survey USA disagree and said that a pregnancy
should be taken into account.
Yates remains in the jail's mental health ward and is so severely psychotic, according to
her attorney, that she can't communicate with him.
Yates is expected to appear next in court on July 24.
Friends, Family Gather For Viewing
Friends and family members gathered Tuesday night to say goodbye to five children
allegedly killed by their own mother.
Visitation for Mary Yates, 6 months; Luke Yates, 2; Paul Yates, 3; John Yates, 5; and Noah
Yates, 7, took place at the Clear Lake Church of Christ.
The viewing was for friends and family members only.
As the five tiny caskets were wheeled into the church for the memorial service, neighbors
and those affected by the tragic situation expressed sadness.
"It's a major tragedy for this family and this church and of course the Clear Lake
community," Ron Crowder of Crowder Funeral Home said.
As Andrea Yates, the children's mother, is locked behind bars, the somber duty of
collecting mementos from a makeshift memorial outside the family's Clear Lake home fell to
the children's great aunt, Kathy Crisp.
"We really appreciate it," Crisp said. "Rusty needs all the prayers and helpfulness. It's
a very tough time."
Crisp said that Russell Yates, the children's father, will likely donate all of the teddy
bears and flowers left outside their home.
The funeral is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Clear Lake Church of Christ for
family and friends.
Kris Baker
tests *were* available in a few minutes (the results ae
known, just not being released), *who* talked about
it, and why would they?
Kris
Patty wrote in message <4Gf_6.1561$du.5...@nntp1.onemain.com>...
Maggie
>If Yates herself didn't report the pregnancy, and the
>tests *were* available in a few minutes (the results ae
>known, just not being released), *who* talked about
>it, and why would they?
***The story I read said that it was Yates who reported the pregnancy, but not
when she was first taken into jail--at some later point when she was asked if
she was pregnant.
Maggie
"Researchers have long known that there is one extremely common genetic factor
that confers at least a ten-fold increase in the propensity to exhibit
criminally violent behavior. It is called the Y chromosome."--Francis S.
Collins
JonesieCat
"Maggie" <maggi...@aol.comSPAMBLOC> wrote in message
news:20010627142720...@ng-mq1.aol.com...
Maybe the poor woman was so delusional she thought she was *always*
pregnant. Maybe she didn't even think it required intercourse. I've known
other woman who've felt that way, and they weren't even crazy.
JC