Thursday, January 06, 2005

Tied Up

...and not in the good way. A few issues of frustration - namely financial - have temporarily rendered my blogging unfeasible. I won't bore anyone with the details, but suffice it to say that I'm too angry to write coherently.

I just wanted to quickly note that Andrea Yates capital murder conviction was overturned. My opinion would probably surprise most, but I think it was the correct decision. That woman is a serious danger to herself and others, but I believe she was truly a psychotic. Not true of all women who kill their children, but I believe it was true of her. She will probably be convicted again because we don't take the murder of children lightly here in Texas, even by people who should be considered legally insane. I am willing to accept any jury's verdict, but I know how I would find.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

On : 1/6/2005 1:06:36 PM jp (www) said:


If there's anything I can do, email me, Z.

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On : 1/6/2005 1:17:39 PM Zelda (www) said:


Thanks, JP. You're sweet.

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On : 1/6/2005 2:19:21 PM tinyhands (www) said:


As they said on the news this morning, there's no danger of her actually getting out on the streets, even on bail. She's going to remain institutionalized for a very long time.

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On : 1/6/2005 4:47:25 PM Jeanette (www) said:


Way-hay-hait a minute here. What's going on? No more Zelda? This can't be. I need my Zelda fix. If I can throw $5 to a woman for a boob job (which she didn't need), I can certainly give my friend, Zelda, $5 to help her in her time of need.

Where's your paypal link, woman?

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On : 1/6/2005 5:28:54 PM Jeanette (www) said:


Or maybe I've completely misread this and you just need emotional support? I'm so confused. I just wanna help. So let me know ... okay? :/

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On : 1/6/2005 5:43:16 PM Zelda (www) said:


Tiny - As she should. I keep vascillating between wanting her to die as horrible a death as she inflicted, and wanting the courts to respect the legal definition of insanity. Ugh.

Jeanette - Aren't you a doll! I wouldn't put up a paypal link ever! But you're so sweet to offer.

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On : 1/6/2005 9:54:41 PM Angi (www) said:


Z- you know if you need anything at all, just speak, I can't do without my dose of Zelda everyday.

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On : 1/6/2005 11:10:58 PM Zelda (www) said:


Thanks Angi - I won't be gone long. I just can't settle my mind down long enough to write anything coherent.

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On : 1/7/2005 2:03:06 AM Trashman (www) said:


Just do as I do. Bang your head on the wall until you forget what was upsetting you. And then take some aspirin for the headache.

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On : 1/7/2005 5:49:35 PM Beckie (www) said:


I totally agree with you Zelda! I just told a friend just this past weekend I believed her case was the one that allowed all these psychotic women claim PTSD and bipolar and whatever else they can think of to kill or maim their own children. I was so pissed when she just got life. Whenever something bad in the news happens, I always say well if they were like Texas we wouldn't have to worry about the victim's rights being ignored and justice being served!

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On : 1/7/2005 6:31:33 PM Zelda (www) said:


What I don't understand is why there isn't a "Guilty by reason of insanity." That way she would still be legally accountable for her crime, but the verdict would take into account the mitigating circumstance of her psychosis.

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On : 1/7/2005 8:42:22 PM Beckie (www) said:


I just don't see the difference between her and that one chick a long time ago who drowned her kids in her car. What was her name something Smith I think? I think Yates was just overwhelmed w/a dominating husband and too many kids and she wanted out. It just seemed too much thought was put into the crime rather than her just flipping out.

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On : 1/8/2005 3:14:29 PM Zelda (www) said:


I couldn't disagree more. Susan Smith was completely lucid and she had the presence of mind to make up a whole story surrounding it.

From everything that's been said about Andrea Yates, she loved being a mom, but started having psychological problems after the birth of her 4th child.

If Susan Smith had been given the death penalty, I would have thrown a party. That woman was a completely cold-hearted selfish monster for whom hanging is not good enough. Andrea Yates, on the other hand, seems like she is clinically insane. I don't know that anyone can be blamed in Yates' case because something like that is so rare.

Again though, it's not like I'm going to cry if Andrea Yates is convicted again. But if I were in the position to render a verdict, I would say she's insane.

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On : 1/8/2005 3:55:24 PM Berry (www) said:


Will be here waiting with bated breathe.

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On : 1/8/2005 11:02:10 PM Trashman (www) said:


Are you going to post again soon?

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On : 1/9/2005 2:08:24 PM Inanna (www) said:


I'm with you Zelda, most of the way. She waited until Rusty's mom left (her mom?) and then methodically drowned her children, one by one, and then called the cops to tell them what she had done. Legally, this doesn't look good. It counts toward pre-meditation and knowing that what she was doing at the time was a crime and she should notify someone of what happened. On the other hand, I truly believe she was suffering from severe, severe post-partum depression and some type of psychosis. I would still love to see Rusty Yates held accountable as well, knowing his wife, following child #4 was prone to such psychological problems and continued to faciltate and participate in getting her pregnant. Then not taking appropriate measures to insure that not only his children, but his wife, were going to be watched over and protected. She could have easily killed herself in front of her children. It is an unusual case for sure and I don't believe has any parallels to Susan Smith, other than the fact they both killed their children. Their reasoning, if Andrea Yates had any, were completely different. Long winded, I know. Hope to see you soon. If there's anything I can do let me know.

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On : 1/9/2005 7:04:48 PM Zelda (www) said:


I will be posting again soon. We had to get a lot of stuff cleared up this weekend, but Monday should be the day.

Inanna - I think she went in and out of psychosis. Maybe Rusty's presence kept her lucid, but when she was on her own, there wasn't anyone to counter the voices... I don't know. I don't even blame Rusty. I mean it was foolish have more children, but I don't think he made aware of the seriousness of her condition. In fact, I don't think her doctors were aware of the seriousness of her condition because all accounts of her were that she loved her children and being a mother. It is all so strange and sad. I don't weep for her because I think when someone does what she did, psychotic or not, there is very little that can be done to redeem her - she is incontrovertibly a danger whether she is insane or not. But I think she meets the definition, such as there is.