Andrea Yates and Deanna Laney had nearly identical crimes. Why did juries find one sane and the other insane?
A. Good question. Andrea Yates drowned her 5 children but was found sane. Deanna Laney killed 2 children and severely injured a third with rocks. She was ruled insane. Both cases occurred in Texas, both cases clearly involved very ill women. The legal system seemed to be caught up in splitting hairs on whether either woman knew what she was doing. More merciful laws, like those of Great Britian, would spare the hair-splitting and allow the women, husbands and family involved to more quickly work through the legal tangles, get psychiatric care, and grief counseling.
