NEED TO KNOW
- Andrea Yates confessed to killing her and Rusty Yates’ five children on June 20, 2001
- At the time of the killings, Andrea was dealing with postpartum depression and psychosis while also allegedly listening to the teachings of Michael Woroniecki
- The docuseries The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story examines the case’s alleged connection to Woroniecki
The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story examines Andrea Yates’ story from the perspective that she was allegedly influenced by preacher Michael Woroniecki to drown her five children, which he has denied.
On June 20, 2001, Andrea called 911 and confessed to killing her and her husband, Rusty Yates’, five children while she was watching them alone at their home in Clear Lake, Texas. She was later convicted of killing Noah, 7, John, 5, Paul, 3, Luke, 2, and 6-month-old Mary in 2002 before her conviction was overturned and she was granted a retrial where the verdict was not guilty by reason of insanity.
At the time of the killings, Andrea had been suffering from severe postpartum depression and psychosis and prosecutors alleged that she had also been following Woroniecki’s teachings.
The ID docuseries, which became available to stream on HBO Max on Jan. 6, includes several people involved in Andrea’s personal life — including Rusty — and former followers of Woroniecki.
“I think looking back, I miscalculated the effect on Andrea,” Rusty claimed of the religious leader’s teachings. “Now, I believe her delusions could well have been influenced by her exposure to the Woronieckis. If I had to do it all over, I would not have introduced her to them.”
Here are five details The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story left out.
Read the full article here


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