Where Is Michael Woroniecki Now? All About the Controversial Preacher Who Allegedly Influenced Andrea Yates to Drown Her Children By Emily Blackwood

Andrea Yates acted alone when she systematically drowned her five young children on June 20, 2001. But some believe a traveling, apocalyptic preacher convinced her that killing Noah, John, Paul, Luke and Mary was the only way to save them from eternal damnation.

The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story premiered on HBO Max on Jan. 6 and examined the alleged influence Michael Woroniecki and his controversial belief system had on the troubled Texas mother.

“For too long, Michael Woroniecki’s role in these events has remained in the shadows,” co-director and producer Julian B. Hobbs told the Houston Chronicle in January 2026. “Our documentary has uncovered new facts relating to the critical role of Woroniecki throughout the Yates marriage.”

In the three-part Investigation Discovery docuseries, former followers of Woroniecki’s and Andrea’s ex-husband, Rusty Yates, described the fear and isolation that the preacher instilled through his teachings. Andrea, who struggled with postpartum depression and psychosis and previously attempted suicide, may have internalized his alleged belief that children who died before the age of 12 wouldn’t go to hell.

Though Woroniecki didn’t respond to filmmakers’ requests for participation, he has said he shouldn’t be blamed for Andrea’s actions.

“I shared Jesus with them,” Woroniecki told Good Morning America in March 2002. “I hold [Rusty] responsible [for the drownings] but I also hold Andrea responsible. God knows what we shared with those people.”

So, where is Michael Woroniecki now? Here’s everything to know about the controversial preacher and his relationship with Andrea Yates.

Woroniecki started preaching in the 1980s 

According to the Houston Chronicle, Woroniecki began preaching on college campuses in the 1980s. His former followers (who now call themselves “survivors”) claim that a major part of Woroniecki’s teaching was “the impending doom of judgement day.” He allegedly perpetuated that fear through sermons, pamphlets, handwritten letters, cassette tapes and VHS recordings of him pretending to be Satan sent to his followers by mail.

“God was going to end the world in a matter of 46 minutes right now. It was that intense,” Moses Storm, Woroniecki’s nephew and former follower, said in The Cult Behind the Killer.

He continued, “He said there would be a thunderstorm that would prompt my mom to get on her knees and pray, ‘God please save us, save our kids.’ It gave me nightmares. My older sister would have these visions and she would start hitting her body just to stop.”

Rusty introduced Andrea to Woroniecki’s teachings 

According to the docuseries, Rusty was a follower of Woroniecki’s and introduced his teachings to his wife, whom he met in 1989 and married four years later. He confirmed that he and Andrea were in regular contact with the preacher.

David De La Isla, another former follower of the preacher, also claimed in The Cult Behind the Killer that Andrea would repeatedly listen to Woroniecki’s tapes and that she did so on the morning she killed her children.

Woroniecki allegedly said children who die before age 12 won’t go to hell

In addition to allegedly asserting that children should be homeschooled to avoid satanic influence, Woroniecki also allegedly taught that “unrighteous mothers” gave birth to “unrighteous children.” And — even more troubling — that it was better for those children to die before the age of 12 so there would be no chance they would go to hell.

Andrea’s children were under the age of 8 when they died, and the docuseries featured footage of the mother repeating those sentiments from prison.

“It was the seventh deadly sin,” she reportedly told jail psychiatrist Melissa Ferguson, who testified. “My children weren’t righteous. They stumbled because I was evil. The way I was raising them, they could never be saved. They were doomed to perish in the fires of hell.”

“In our opinion, Woroniecki distorted the core teachings of Christianity to serve his own ends,” Hobbs told The Houston Chronicle. “The film is not an attack on faith, but rather an examination of Woroniecki’s homegrown brand of apocalyptic teachings. Andrea Yates’ mental illness may have made her more susceptible to such teachings.”

Woroniecki’s wife allegedly urged Andrea to change her children before it was “too late”

Andrea was diagnosed with postpartum depression in 1999. Though she initially improved with treatment, she stopped taking her medication and gave birth to her fifth child, Mary, in November 2000. Her condition reportedly worsened as she started to hallucinate and believed the devil was inside her.

According to the docuseries, Woroniecki’s wife, Rachel, allegedly wrote a letter to Andrea during this time.

“Jesus knows how weak you are, how weak and vulnerable,” she allegedly penned. “I know you’re frustrated, Andrea. You’re accountable for these children. You can change them. There would be a day when it’s too late. Don’t look to Rusty, look to Jesus. If you allow Satan to come in and still be understanding, the consequences will be tragic.”

Woroniecki has denied influencing Andrea to kill her children

During Andrea’s first trial, where she was charged with five counts of capital murder, both the defense and the prosecution claimed that she was under Woroniecki’s influence.

Her attorneys argued that she got the idea to drown her children to save them from going to hell from the preacher and even submitted a copy of his newsletter, The Perilous Times, into evidence. Dr. Park Dietz, a forensic psychiatrist who testified for the prosecution, also claimed that pressure to follow his teachings was a factor in her previous suicide attempts.

Related Stories

Why Did Andrea Yates Drown Her Five Children? Inside the Shocking Case 23 Years Later

Andrea Yates: 15 Years After Drowning Five Children, in a Texas Mental Facility

Woroniecki said he shouldn’t be blamed for the deaths, calling the claims “ridiculous” in his interview with Good Morning America. However, the preacher admitted to telling Andrea and Rusty that they were going to hell during a visit in 1998.

“Of course,” Woroniecki said, adding: “Because everybody is going to hell.”

Where is Michael Woroniecki now?

Since Andrea’s trials, Woroniecki has continued to preach across the United States. According to his website, he’s been active for nearly 50 years and has traveled with his wife and their six children to 60 countries to spread his message.

“My message is the simple Christian gospel of salvation through the work and Person of Jesus,” he wrote, noting that he’s not “a cult or religious fanatic.” Though he hasn’t responded to the specific allegations laid out in The Cult Behind the Killer, Woroniecki did write that people have misrepresented him “with terrible lies and fabricated stories.”

“My family is proof of the family I raised in love, sincerity, humility, joy, humor, word travel, and most of the Spirit of the living Jesus and an undying love and service for others,” he added. “While I cannot stop people from lying, I can simply declare the truth of who I am.”

No legal responsibility was ever assigned to Woroniecki in connection with the Yates children’s deaths.

Though Andrea was found guilty of capital murder in 2002, her conviction was reversed. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2006 and was placed in a maximum-security psychiatric center in Texas, where she’s resided ever since.