Andrea Yates: Ill or Evil?
Aftermath
Andrea went to prison, but many people believed that she was not the only one who was culpable in this tragedy. Rusty had been warned not to leave her alone with the children and a doctor had taken her off medication while apparently believing that she could be a danger to herself or others. Many people believed that they shared in the blame.
About a week after the Yates cases concluded, Harris County DA Chuck Rosenthal looked into the issue. Numerous emails had come into his office insisting that Rusty be investigated, and it did seem important to try to understand why Rusty had disregarded the doctor's instructions. He had said repeatedly that since it would be only a short time between his departure that day and his mother's arrival, he had believed his wife would be fine alone with the children. His attorney, Edward Mallett, insisted that Rusty was innocent of any wrongdoing.
"It's a tragedy that Rusty now has to defend himself after standing by his wife," Mallett said to the press.
It was Rusty's contention that those who were most responsible are the doctors and hospitals that did not treat Andrea properly, and he talked about a lawsuit against them.
In the end, there was no investigation.