Two women from Texas, Andrea Yates, 37 and Darlie Routier, 27 both shocked the world when they brutally murdered their children. Both women were described as wonderful mothers who loved their children, but were also described as having post-partum issues during the last years of their children’s lives. Andrea Yates admitted to her harsh crimes and was willing to take any punishment that was given, as she believed she was saving her children’s souls. On the other hand, Darlie Routier did not admitted her crimes towards her children. Darlie Routier pleaded not guilty, but prosecutors believed differently after many conflicts appeared in her story.
When the police were called to Andrea Yates suburban Hudson Texas home in June 20th 2001 they were not prepared for what they were about to see. The police were shocked to see Andreas five children dead while Andrea acted completely calm and admitted to drowning them one by one in the family bath tub. Andrea had previous mental health issues which she had been hospitalized including suicide attempts. She had been suffering with very sever postpartum depression and post part partum psychosis, two illnesses that would make Andrea very dangerous to herself and those around her, especially her children. Andrea went to trial against the Harris County Texas District Attorney who were convicting her of capital murder and asking for the death penalty,
It was suggested that Wuornos was insane and didn’t understand what she was doing, but after multiple tests she was declared mentally competent (Koch, 2002). In the fall of 2002, Aileen Wuornos was put to death by lethal
Aileen also had a brother. At a young age, her mom abandon both her brother and herself and they were left to the grandparents who later adopted the two of them. In the younger years of her life her alcoholic and violent grandfather would sexually abuse her, which is likely the reason for her sexual behaviors which arose later in life. Around the age of 11, Aileen began engaging in sexual behaviors in exchange for items. This was the starting point to her downhill spiral.
Andrea Yates crime moved the United States in an astonishing way. This crime impacted both the officers and the families all around the United States due to the horrendous Crime Andrea committed. Andre killed her 5 children including her precious baby girl. What most the the American public ask themselves was, what lead her to kill her children and how can we stop it for ever happening to a family again. Even though Andrea Yates was affected by a combination of Social,Biological, and Psychological factors the factor that triggered her insanity was Biological and Psychological.
Andrea Yates conviction was a unjust trial at first and later on the conviction changed to a just one. She was convicted for the murders of her children (Chan). She suffered from depression and had tried to commit suicide (Chan). Yates was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison (Chan). This convictions was later over turned and she wasn’t found guilty anymore because, of insanity (Chan).
The Andrea Yates Murder Case Andrea Yates had always lead a splendid life, a bright young woman moving on to do great things in the world. No one expected the class valedictorian, swim team captain, and National Honor Society officer to jump off the deep end shortly after her nursing career took off. Unfortunately, the unexpected did take place, and Andrea’s battle with extreme mental illness took off, snowballing for years to come. One day, she could no longer control it, causing her to commit one of the most shocking crimes in history, involving the deaths of her own children, invoking despair in of all of society. Due to the wide publicization of her story, the devastating Andrea Yates murder case brought a grasp of mental illness’s role
Aileen meets the DSM-IV-TR criteria for both a borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder. Clinical evidence was also available through a psychopathic checklist for a diagnosis of psychopathic personality disorder, leaving Aileen with a rating of 32 (Myers, Gooch, & Meloy, 2005). Scientific evidence has proven that the development of psychopathic characteristics is attributed to biological and environmental influences. Aileen, like her father, carried the personality characteristics of psychopathic personality disorder at the time of their arrest. The genetic influences, combined with the environmental flaws that both were raised with could be contributory factors for the callous-emotionless traits that were witnessed through both of their behaviors.
Her childhood was not like many children; it was a dark, scary and unhappy time in her life that left scars on her mental and physical health. So, that is why at the age of 12 she ran away from her home to live with her strict grandmother who agreed to train and educate
In this paper we will discuss the female serial killer known as, Aileen Wuornos. Aileen was considered to be the first female serial killer in America (biography.com, n.d.). She committed her first murder in November 1989 and between then and November 1990 she killed at least five and probably six more victims. It’s said that Aileen lived a very difficult childhood full of abuse and violence.
The documentary “Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer” follows the life and death of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. It goes into detail of her troubled childhood to her final days on death row. Wuronos grew up grew up in an impoverished home in Michigan. By her early teens she’d go on to become homeless and finding her way to Florida. She soon meets a woman named Tyria Moore and with little approval of their relationship from Moores family, they set out on their own to survive.
People’s actions as well as behaviors are all developed as they grow up. As they grow up children begin to develop the same behaviors or actions from their parents. Some adults and children develop psychological disorders. These are mainly caused by Biological influences: evolution, individual genes, brain structure and chemistry; Psychological influences: stress, trauma, learned helplessness, mood-related perceptions and memories; and Social Cultural influences: roles, and expectations (pg.508). As in Mommie Dearest, Joan (Faye Dunaway) has multiple disorders that later on are developed by her daughter Christina (Mara Hobel).
Psychosocial theories "work from the viewpoint that deviant sexual behavior is a response to external factors and that there is an interconnection between psychological and sociological variables that influence sexual behavior. Sexual behavior is a learned response to particular conditions, and deviant sexual behavior is the outcome of inappropriate socialization. This may result from personal experiences, such as childhood sexual abuse, or be influenced by general factors, such as pornography. " Alcoholic and explosive caregivers raised Aileen, that behavior was later reflected in Aileen herself. At a very young age, she became pregnant after being raped by one of her grandfather's friend.
Since there were problems with how to care for her, who was caring for her changed constantly and after getting to live with her mum for a while, she then went into foster care, where she was abused once
Her last hope was to get a stay of execution, which happened on September 30, 2002 by Governor Jeb Bush and he ordered a mental examination to determine whether Wuornos was competent to be executed. Florida law states that an inmate cannot be executed unless she understands why she is being executed. An examination by three psychiatrists determined that Wuornos was competent to be executed and the stay was lifted. On October 9, 2002 Aileen Wuornos was executed by lethal injection in Florida State prison. Her last words before being executed were “I’d just like to say I’m sailing with the rock, and I’ll be back like Independence Day, with Jesus June 6.
