Andrea Yates made headlines when she drowned her five children in her family’s home in Houston, Texas, in June 2001. More than two decades later, her ex-husband, Russell Yateswill discuss the tragedy on Investigation Discovery’s The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story.
While the former couple are no longer together, Russell… who answers to the nickname “Rusty” – is expected to share information about her family life before the heartbreaking murders of her children. In view of the premiere of the docuseries, Us Weekly reveals where Russell is now in 2026.
Where is Andrea Yates’ ex-husband Rusty Yates today?
Rusty has lived a relatively private life since Andrea was arrested and convicted of capital murder in 2002. However, some glimpses of his life have been shared with the public over the years.
He filed for divorce from Andrea in 2004 and it was finalized in 2005, according to NBC news.
Did Rusty Yates remarry?
Rusty was married for the second time in 2006 when he got married Laura Arnold during a private ceremony at Clear Lake Church of Christ in Houston, Texas. After the nuptials, the church minister said Rusty chose to move on with his life instead of seeking revenge on the people who had wronged him.
Andrea Yates shocked people around the world when it was revealed that she drowned her five children in a bathtub in June 2001. More than two decades later, the reasoning behind the crime will be explored in Investigation Discovery’s latest docuseries The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story. Us Weekly breaks it all down (…)
“It is easy to judge the actions of another, as if we know all the intricate details of their life story,” the minister said. Byron Fike he said at the time, per NBC News. “Jesus has warned us against such judgments.”
Shortly after their wedding, one of Andrea’s lawyers, George Parnhamconfirmed that her client knew about her ex-husband’s remarriage.
“I think she wishes him the best,” Parnham said at the time, per ABC News. “She is sad that she put him through what happened. She has accepted full responsibility for what happened on June 20, 2001. She she blames no one but herselfand she understands that she has to get on with her life.”
Rusty and Arnold welcomed their son, Mark, in March 2008.
Despite confirming their marriage, not much is known about Rusty and Arnold’s relationship.
Andrea Yates and Rusty Yates stayed in touch after their breakup
After announcing the birth of his and Arnold’s son, Rusty revealed that he shared a photo of Mark via email with Andrea while he was in a mental hospital in San Antonio. “She’s like, ‘He’s so cute.'” She was so excited,” she said Good morning America in November 2008.
“Probably exchange an email once a week or so and maybe talk on the phone once a month,” he added about his communication with Andrea.
Rusty also said that he didn’t blame Andrea for killing his children. “Even though it was horribly wrong, it really hurt me, my family, everybody, it’s really the disease, you know, that caused this, not her. So I can’t blame her,” he said.
Rusty Yates Appears in ‘The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story’
Rusty will elaborate further on his experience with Andrea The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story.
In a teaser clip shared on Tuesday, January 6, Rusty recalled seeing Andrea experience a breaking point when they were staying at her mother’s house. He said he found her in the bathroom looking at her reflection in the mirror and holding a knife to her throat.
Taylor Armstrong sat down to dish all about her abusive marriage to late husband Russell Armstrong, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills filming timeline and more. During the latest installment of Investigation Discovery’s Hollywood Demons, which premieres Monday, April 14, Taylor addressed burning questions about her personal life (…)
“She wasn’t actually hurt, but she was hospitalized at the time. The doctors told me that Andrea had postpartum depression, they explained the severity of the condition, that women who have postpartum depression can develop postpartum psychosis,” she said. “But I didn’t know what psychosis looked like, what it meant.”
Rusty added that it would have helped to be better informed about Andrea’s condition as it led her to believe false things and be “dangerous”.
Why was Andrea Yates arrested?
Andrea was arrested for drowning her and Rusty’s children after she believed it was the only way to save them from the devil. The former couple shared 7-year-old Noah, 5-year-old John, 3-year-old Paul, 2-year-old Luke and 6-month-old Mary.
After her arrest, it was revealed that Andrea was heavily influenced by the rogue preacher’s extreme teachings. Michael Woroniecki. Although Woroniecki and his followers have never publicly identified themselves as a cult, the media have described the group as cult-influenced.
Woroniecki has denied any involvement in the murders of Andrea and Rusty’s children. However, he admitted to serving as the couple’s spiritual leader and said he “shared Jesus with them” during a 2002 appearance at Good morning America.
Andrea was convicted of capital murder in 2002 and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after forty years.
The initial verdict was later overturned on appeal due to false testimony by a forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz. In July 2006, the case was dropped and a Texas jury found Yates not guilty by reason of insanity.
He is currently a patient at Kerrville State Hospital in Kerrville, Texas.
Hulu In addition to unseen footage from Ruby Franke’s archives, Hulu’s documentaries about the YouTuber featured her grown children breaking their silence about the beatings they suffered before she was arrested for child abuse. During Hulu’s three-part docuseries Devil in the Family, which premiered Thursday, February 27, Ruby’s daughter and oldest son, (…)
When is ‘The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story’ coming out?
The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story premieres Tuesday, January 6th at 8pm ET on Investigation Discovery. The episodes will also be available to stream on HBO Max.