Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Why Andrea Yates Drowned Her Kids: ID Doc

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

Andrea Yates drowned her five young children in her Texas home, a crime that stunned the nation and raised enduring questions about mental illness, culpability, and the limits of the justice system. Now, a new Investigation Discovery docuseries, The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story, examines whether fear-based religious teachings may have influenced Yates during a period of severe postpartum psychosis. Law&Crime’s Angenette Levy breaks down the documentary’s claims with Wendell Odom, one of the attorneys who represented Yates at trial, to examine what really happened — and what may still be misunderstood — in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.Host:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Guest: Wendell OdomCRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondry Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondry app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Andrea Yates drowned her five children nearly 25 years ago, and this heart-wrenching and shocking case still makes headlines all these years later. Now there are new questions about what could have driven Yates to do the unspeakable. I talk with one of her attorneys about a new documentary and the claimant. claim. Welcome to Crime Fix. I'm Annette Levy. You know, when you hear the name Andrea Yates, you likely think of an unspeakable horror, something most of us cannot fathom. A mother, home with

her five young kids, drowns them one by one in a bathtub. And if you follow a lot of true crime cases, you are likely familiar with this one. But what if the story that you've been told for decades is missing a critical piece of information? Well, that's the claim behind investigation Discovery's new documentary, the cult behind the killer, the Andrea Yates story. It's not just revisiting the tragedy. It's peeling back layers on the radical religious influence that swirled around the Yates family and asking a haunting question. Did the fear-based teachings of a preacher described in the documentary as cult-like help push a woman in the throes of psychosis over the edge? So how much of this shocking new documentary is the actual truth? And what did it get?

wrong, if anything, we're going to get into that. And we have someone who couldn't be any closer to the Andrea Yates case to help us separate fact from fiction. Joining us in a little bit is Wendell Odom, the attorney who represented Andrea Yates. He was at her side during her first murder trial in 2002 when she could have faced the death penalty, and he helped secure her not guilty by reason of insanity verdict in her landmark 2006 retrial. He is going to give us a behind-the-scenes look at what really happened, what the documentary got right, and what may have been left in the shadows. But first, we are going to break down exactly what this new documentary is claiming and why it's turning this case upside down once again. Let me just explain how we got here.

It's the late 1990s in Clear Lake, Texas, a suburb of Houston, and Andrea Yates, a former registered nurse and her husband Rusty, have started their family. Andrea leaves her career to be a full-time homeschooling mom, as reported in media coverage. By the year 2000, she has five children under the age of seven, Noah, John, Paul, Luke, and of course, Baby Mary. From the outside, it looks like a devout, close-knit family, but behind closed doors. Andrea is in a fierce, private battle with her own mind. After the birth of her fourth child, she sinks into severe postpartum depression. She is hospitalized. She tries to end it all. She's done. She's done. diagnosed with postpartum psychosis, a diagnosis documented in medical records and discussed at trial.

It's a rare condition that causes delusions, hallucinations, and a break from reality. She's put on heavy medication, and for a while, it actually seems to help, but there's another layer here. The Yates family is deeply involved with the teachings of a radical traveling preacher named Michael Wernicke. His message is apocalyptic, filled with hellfire, Satan, and the idea. that a mother's failure could doom her children's souls for eternity, according to letters and cassette tapes examined in the series. Andrea, already fragile, internalizes his fear. Against medical advice, she and Rusty have a fifth child.

Court reporting indicates she was taken off of a powerful antipsychotic weeks before the killings. Then comes the morning of June 20, 2001, Rusty leaves for work. Andrea's mother-in-law is scheduled to come over later to help. But in that short window, Andrea fills the bathtub, and one by one, she does the unthinkable. She drowns all five of her children. The oldest seven-year-old Noah tries to run, but she catches him. Afterward, she lays four of them neatly on a bed, covers them each with a sheet, and leaves the youngest in the tub. Then she picks up the phone, calls 911, and calmly tells the operator, I killed my kids.

When police arrive, she answers the door with wet hair and clothes and repeats her confession. The trial that followed was a national spectacle. In 2002, a jury rejected her insanity defense, convicted her of capital murder, and sentenced her to life in prison. But that conviction was vacated because a prosecution expert gave false testimony about an episode of law and order that never even existed, a fact later acknowledged by the appellate court. The retrial in 2006, it changed everything. This time, the jury heard the full scope of Andrea Yates's psychosis, and they found her not guilty by reason of insanity. She wasn't sent to prison, but to a state mental hospital where she remains to this day. For over 20 years, the public story has centered on two things, a monstrous crime and a devastating mental illness. But now, investigation discoveries, new documentary, the cult behind the killer, the Andrea Yates story, is interesting. introducing a third explosive element into that narrative. It's asking, was it just psychosis? Or was her fractured mind also poisoned by the fear-based teachings of a man, some called a cult leader? And that's where we are today. So what exactly is this new documentary claiming? Well, IDs, the cult behind

the killer, the Andrea Yates story. It's a three-part series that premiered on HBO Max on January 6th. And its mission statement is right there in the title. This isn't just a rehash of the crime scene or the trial, the documentary's entire focus is on that second part of the title, the cult behind the killer. It zeroes in on Michael Wernicki, the itinerant preacher, who the eight's family looked to for spiritual guidance. The filmmakers interview former followers, some of them Wernicki's own family members, who describe his teachings as a cult-like system built on fear, isolation, and apocalyptic doom. The series dives deep into the cassette tapes and handwritten letters that went back and forth between Wernicke, his wife Rachel, and the Yates

family. The documentary argues that Andrea wasn't just battling psychosis in a vacuum. She was consuming a steady diet of messages that told her she was a failure, that her children were doomed to hell, and that Satan was in control. And one of the most chilling claims that on the very morning of the drownings, Andrea was listening to one of Warnacki's tapes. The documentary also features Andrea's ex-husband Rusty Yates, who has long maintained that mental illness was the sole cause. But here, the film surrounds his perspective with these new accounts from Wernicke's inner circle, suggesting the preacher's influence created a perfect storm of conditions for tragedy. In essence, this documentary, it's building a case and it's presenting evidence and testimony

to argue that to understand why Andrea Yates did what she did, you have to understand the cult that helps shape her delusional world. So the big question becomes, is this a crucial missing piece of the puzzle the public never fully grasped? Or is it a sensationalized theory that oversimplifies a complex mental health tragedy? And to help us answer that,

we need somebody who was in the room where this all happened, this whole trial. So to discuss all of this, I'd like to bring in Wendell Odom. He is one of the attorneys who represented Andrea Yates during both of her trials, Mr. Odom, thank you so much for coming on.

I really appreciate it. You bet. First of all, talk to me about back when this happened. I mean, it's a horrific case. How did you get involved in representing Andrea Yates? My law partner, George Parnham, was there was a local lawyer in town that was a civil lawyer. And the Yates' family reached out to him, and he didn't handle criminal cases. So he referred the case to us, to our office.

And that's how we got involved in the case. You were there back in 2002. During that first penalty phase, the jury was deciding between life and prison and the death penalty. What was Andrea Yates' state of mind during that first trial? What was it like representing her? She was very medicated. They were still giving her antipsychotics. And she, quite frankly, was pretty numb as far as emotions and correspondence with us.

She was just sort of there, quite frankly. So there wasn't a lot of back-and-forth dialogue with Andrea during the trial. Actually, the second trial as well, although she was much more, you know, five years later, the second trial, she was much more animated and involved in discussions. The first trial, she was just sort of there. just sort of there. Did that complicate representing her because you maybe couldn't have as, you know, in-depth conversations with her? Is this more kind of the type of case where it's like, you know she did it. You're not disputing her culpability per se that she actually did this,

but it's more a question of whether or not, you know, she was mentally ill at the time or what have you. I mean, primarily the whole case was based on her insanity. So the fact that she was not able to really participate a whole lot, reinforce that whole concept. But there were some issues. For example, the reason the case got overturned was because an expert testified that she'd watched law and order and that's what her motivation was for the killings. And there was no law and order. Well, had she been, had all of her senses, she probably could have told us that she never watched a law and order. but that wasn't I don't think she was really capable or able to do that so to some extent it didn't

it hampered us in our defense of her after the conviction was vacated and she wins a new trial you go back and you're representing her yet again you know you're you're there for round two in 2006 you know was there a big difference in the strategy or was it or was it pretty much the same. Like, look, we have, we have a woman who was in the throes of psychosis. I mean, this was, this was not a woman who didn't love her children. The strategy was the same, but the way we did it was greatly different. We had a better jury the second time around. It wasn't a death penalty case, so you had people that didn't believe in the death penalty that could be on the jury. and we also emphasized her state of mind in a much better way and presented it in a much better way.

The Warnocky stuff, for example. I think we emphasized it more of the second trial. And also the doctors, I think, having gone through it, testified better the second time around. Interesting. So let's talk about this, this Michael Wernicki, this pastor, if you will, preacher. talk to me about him and the possible influence he had over Andrea or what his possible teachings, the role that those played in this, or at least your belief, how they contributed to her committing, you know, these murders.

Right. Well, there's no question. The doctors confirmed that. And when she first went into the hospital and into jail and the hospital. hospital there in the jail all the way loud. They confirmed that the Warnocky's teachings were the basis for her delusion that caused the infanticide. That that was the, as Dr. Wehresnick put it, that was the trappisty upon which this whole concept that she had to save her children is based.

He, you know, he was a street preacher, quite radical, apparently charismatic, and she was very, very sick. And the combination obviously was deadly. How did she even come to know that this man existed? I mean, was it somebody she just heard about? I mean, we know that the Yates's were particularly religious. Right. Well, Rusty brought, the Rusty Yates, her husband, brought him into the family, so to speak.

And that's because he'd met him when he was going to college in Kentucky or Tennessee, I think Kentucky, he met him when he was in college. It was influenced by Warnocky and his teachings. So Rusty Yates brings him in. Part of the teachings is that the wife shall obey the husband. And she became, she was religious, she was Catholic, and she started following his teachings. And they were rather extreme. They were rather hardcore, Helen Brimstone.

teachings to say the least wow did Rusty Yates ever discuss his bringing this Warneckee into their lives like his teachings and things of that nature had did he ever talk to you about that well I don't know that to some extent yes I mean we never did deep dives into his thought processes about that but yes I mean that was all part of the story is to here's her deletive Her delusion is she has to save her children. The reason she has to save her children is because they're innocent, and the devil's telling her, influence her, so she has to save them.

All of that, by necessity, required us to understand, well, what is a religious background? What's going on? Plus, there was a journalist, you know, Susie Spencer, who was in the documentary. She sent us information about this person. And the more you looked at it, you looked at it, the more you saw that it made sort of a crazy sense, if you will, as to why she's doing what she's doing in her mind and why she thought it was correct.

Wow. So in the documentary, they show these three cassette tapes and letters, and, you know, they actually suggest that Andrea was listening to one of the cassettes on the mornings, morning of the drownings. So, I mean, was that a part of your legal strategy, a major? part of it? We didn't know that. You didn't know that? We were not aware of that. Yes. They did a much deeper dive into the street preacher, Warnocky, than we did. We were very aware of his writings and the juror that looked at the pamphlets that we presented those pamphlets in evidence, and I was very surprised. I wasn't surprised, but I was very

happy to see. They actually did start reading all that information. So, you know, cult, no cult, clearly it was a little, it was extreme religious thinkings. And you put that in the mind of someone that's sick like she is. That's a dangerous combination. How do you feel about this documentary? As somebody who lived this case, what are your feelings about it? Well, it brought back a lot of memories, I can tell you. The case is a significant case.

It's, I mean, before this case, you know, as a father, I knew what the baby blues were after pregnancy, but I had no idea there was this mental disease called postpartum depression that is a medical emergency. And I had no idea that our insanity laws were rather skewed in such a way that it's difficult to defend someone when they have postpartum depression. and do something horrendous. So it's a very significant case and we recognize that. I guess you're trying to do a job, you're trying to get someone our insanity defense, but in the back of our minds we also recognized that this person should not die for what she did, this person didn't know what she was doing, it's the equivalent of someone having a heart attack and then their car going over and running over someone. It wasn't her fault.

feel like this case changed everything? I mean, it seems like this case, I remember when it happened, and it was shocking. It would shock anybody anytime, even today. But do you think that it had a significant impact in how people viewed postpartum depression? I do. I do. We saw that in the difference between the first trial and five years later. The medical community started talking about it, the awareness of what it really is and what it means started coming about. And since then, I mean, today, because of Andrea Yates, when a woman goes into seeing their doctor, there's going to be a pamphlet there that talks about postpartum depression, which is something that they didn't have before. You know, this documentary claims that that Warnicki ran a cult. Is that how

you feel? Do you feel he's a bit of a cult leader because of the nature? of his teachings and his influence, his charisma? I guess it depends on what you call a cult. Look, for centuries, you've had radical preachers espousing fire and brimstone and teachings of you're going to go to hell if you don't do this or do that or follow me. So in that respect, he certainly had that element about him. A cult, he's running this rather, I would think, in my opinion, religious

preachings. But it takes someone that is as sick as Andrea to actually put it into action. So yes and no. Depends on what you call a cult. She certainly wouldn't have done what she did the way she did it

without believing quite literally what he was teaching. And I don't know if he quite literally meant go drown your children if you can't discipline them. I don't know that. You know, Rusty Yates, I had read quite some time ago, that he, and I don't know if it's true as of this moment, but that he and Andrea still talk. He maybe still sees her, speaks with her, and they talk about their children.

This is not a woman, and I guess you can speak to this, who hated her children. So does Rusty Yates, as far as you know, keep in touch with Andrea Yates? I know he has. I don't know how often and how recent that is. But, you know, he's the one that after the death of her fourth child, they were told don't have any more children. That, you know, she suffered severely, went into a very deep depression after the fourth child.

And yet they did have another child. And there's something to be said for the fact. fact that her punishment is is that now she's not insane. Now she does think she did love her children and she has to live with what she did. And I can't help but think that that's a tragedy for everybody. That's just heartbreaking. What is the state, what are the state of things today? We know that Andrea Yates is in a mental health facility. So do you still represent you? Do you still speak with her? I am not her representative, but however, I consult with the person that is representing her now.

She comes up for review periodically, and there's a very competent lawyer that is taking over that role now, and I talked to her just the other day. And you come up for review, when you do come up for a review, you have the right to petition to be released from the hospital. the hospital. She has never expressed the desire to contest them not wanting to release her from the hospital. And she's quite shy. She's very introverted and at this point is still at the hospital and I suspect we'll be there for a while. But it's hard to say what the future is for Andrea. So she's never asked to be released. She's never asked, that's correct. She's never contested the opinion of the of the hospital to not release her, which she has a right to do.

So do you think that Andrea feels that she's still very sick? I don't know if she thinks she's very sick or if she just realizes the impact of what it would be like if she were out in the real world. that's going to be difficult for her. And like I said, she's not a very extroverted person, and I think she shuns publicity. And right now I think she may believe she's in a good place. I don't know. I know that you were her lawyer,

and your communications are privileged. But did she ever express to you her feelings for her children? I can tell you at one point during the trial, we have all these photographs, and you forget she's there because she's so quiet. And we're not paying attention. We're arguing legal arguments and photographs, and what about this, and what about this, and what about this? And somehow or another, these photographs got spread before her inadvertently at the defense table. And all of a sudden, there is this gasp to our right, and she is confronted with these photos. and it almost just took her out.

So I know that there is a great deal of remorse there and that she is living in her own world of torment because of what occurred. She loved her children. I know that. Well, Wendell Odom, I really appreciate your time and you're offering your thoughts on this documentary. Just really finally, did you believe it was accurate? it. Yes. And in many ways it is. I mean, we didn't do the dive into Warnocky that they did,

but there's no question that we made him very much part of that's where her delusion came from. Wendell Odom, thank you so much for your time. I so appreciate it. I've so enjoyed talking with you. You're welcome. I did too. And that's it. For this episode of Crime Fix, I'm Anjanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. Remember, you can watch and listen to us on Spotify. So check us out there along with watching us on YouTube. I'm Annette Levy again. Thanks for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.