Yates getting divorced
The week's news at a glance.
Houston
The husband of Andrea Yates, the Texas woman who drowned her five young children in a bathtub three years ago, filed for divorce this week. After the killings, Russell Yates stood by his wife, who was suffering from postpartum depression when she drowned the children. She was sentenced to life in prison. Shortly after the third anniversary of the crime, in June, she began refusing to eat and spent nine days in a prison hospital. An attorney for Russell Yates said he was asking for a “standard, uncontested divorce.” Andrea Yates’ attorney, George Parnham, said his main concern was getting her through the process as “softly” as possible. “It’s just one of those facts of life,” he said.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.