Russell “Rusty” Yates faced immense tragedy when his then-wife, Andrea Yates, drowned their five children in June 2001. More than two decades after the crime, Rusty revealed why he still visits his ex-wife once a year at a mental health facility in Kerrville, Texas.
“I try once a year to visit in person and we text back and forth some and talk on the phone some,” Rusty, 61, told People in an interview published on Monday, January 12. “Andrea and I always got along. That’s a time of our life that we both cherish and she’s the only person I can talk to about it. She and I are the only two who can get together and reminisce about what it was like to enjoy those years together.”
While Rusty said that he and Andrea, also 61, appreciate their friendship, he added that it can also be “bittersweet.”
“It’s nice to reminisce. Honestly, I never imagined anything like this could happen, especially with her, especially how caring and loving and devoted Andrea is,” he said. “I don’t hold it against her, but even just communicating with her is a reminder of that. So, we try to focus on the better times, but it’s a little hard to, even in our conversations, avoid that most significant tragedy.”
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Rusty went on to share that he believes the killings “loomed so large” for her that “it’s really kept her from growing” and “from really living and trying to enjoy the balance of her years.” He continued, “It’s just too big. She can’t get past it.”
Andrea was arrested in 2001 after she drowned her children Noah, 7, John, 5, Paul, 3, Luke, 2, and Mary, who was just 6 months. Following the incident, it was discovered that she was suffering from postpartum depression and psychosis. Additionally, it was later revealed that she was heavily influenced by the teachings of preacher Michael Woroniecki.
While it’s been speculated that Woroniecki may have influenced the drownings, Woroniecki has publicly denied having any involvement in the Yates children’s deaths.
Andrea was convicted of capital murder in 2002 and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. However, the verdict was overturned on appeal after it was revealed that forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz gave false testimony during the trial.
Andrea’s case was retried in July 2006, and she was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Following the verdict, Andrea has chosen to live in a mental hospital.
Meanwhile, Rusty told People that Andrea embraced her role as a mother and the way that their children’s lives ended was “devastating for her.”
Today, Andrea “spends a lot more time going over old videos of our family, looking through old pictures — that sort of thing — because her mind is still sort of stuck there.”
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Rusty now keeps his children’s legacy alive on a memorial website that he maintains. In one post, he shared what he thinks their family’s life might have looked like if Andrea never killed their kids. “If our family had continued, [the children] would have grown up, gone to school, started working, and had families of our own,” he wrote.
Andrea and Rusty wed in 1993, and he filed for divorce in August 2004. Their divorce was finalized in March 2005.