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Russell Yates describes wife as a victim

"She needs treatment," Russell Yates says of his wife, Andrea. "She doesn't need punishment."

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Hours after his wife was formally sentenced Monday to life in prison for drowning their children, the husband of Andrea Yates said he was stunned when he first heard the guilty verdict read and believes the jurors ignored overwhelming evidence that she is insane.

"She's a victim; she's not a criminal," Russell Yates told CNN's "Larry King Live." "She needs treatment. She doesn't need punishment."

Yates said he initially thought he had misheard the judge when she read the verdict. "I heard her read it, and I honestly thought she'd skipped over the word 'no,' " Yates recalled.

A Houston, Texas, jury convicted Andrea Yates last week on two counts of murder in the June 20 drownings of Noah, 7; John, 5; and Mary, 6 months. Prosecutors also presented evidence in the deaths of Paul, 3, and Luke, 2.

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Russell Yates said the jury was given "a lot of exhibits that they had access to that I don't think they looked at."

The jurors' mentality was that "someone got hurt, so someone's got to pay," he said. "I don't think the jury was ever able to get past the fact that she drowned the children. It's that simple."

He added, "Her heart was good, and her mind was bad. To me, as outrageous as it sounds, I don't think she needs forgiveness, she needs compassion."

But Yates said his wife had a different reaction. "I got the impression she was a bit relieved to have a verdict and have a sentence," he said. "She was worried about the possibility of the death penalty. It's just something she doesn't have to worry about now. She knows what the future holds for her."

That future is a minimum of 40 years in jail for Andrea Yates, 37. She remains in the Harris County (Texas) Jail, where Yates said he visits her Tuesdays and Fridays.

Yates said he had no inkling his wife was a danger to their children and that he did not hold himself culpable, though his wife is having a hard time forgiving herself.

"I've tried to encourage her to separate herself from what happened and realize that she never would have done this had she not been psychotic."

None of her family, or his, wanted her to be found guilty, he said. "She's wonderful -- a kind, gentle, caring, loving person."

Even their children would not want her imprisoned, he said. "They would want her in a hospital."

Yates said his wife first showed signs of postpartum depression after the birth of their fourth son, Luke, and attempted suicide by taking sleeping pills.

But the right combination of medicines -- including the powerful anti-psychotic agent Haldol -- quickly resulted in a dramatic turnaround. When the couple decided to conceive a fifth child, doctors warned that her illness could return but reassured them the same combination of drugs would likely help her, he said.

After the birth of Mary, the symptoms did recur, followed by a second suicide attempt. But by then the family had switched to a different doctor.

"We didn't go back to her because, just practically, she was too far away," Yates said.

The mother of five was hospitalized twice for her psychosis. "Both times she was released from the hospital, she was the sickest patient in the hospital," said Yates, who said he likely will sue his health insurer.

Andrea Yates' brother, Brian Kennedy, told ABC's "Good Morning America" that Yates had been inattentive to his wife's needs and that he had begged him to lighten her load.

Andrea Yates' mother, Jutta Karin Kennedy, said her son-in-law had not changed a diaper since Luke's birth.

Yates dismissed both complaints. "I helped out tremendously at home," he said. "They didn't see it."

He acknowledged he is "not very emotional" but said his in-laws' concerns indicate "they don't understand her illness. ... They act as though I should have seen this coming."

Though he said he did not see it coming, he did know his wife was seriously ill. On June 18, two days before the killings, he took her to a doctor, who did not agree to hospitalize her.

"He's a trained professional who's supposed to be able to recognize these kinds of things. I'm not. I'm just a guy," Yates said.

Yates pledged to continue supporting his wife. But "as far as where we go with our relationship, that's kind of hard to say," he said. "The reasons to get married are companionship and children. We'll have neither."

Faith in God has helped him and his wife, he said. "With the children, I know they're safe. I know I'll see them again. I know I did everything I could for them."

He added, "I don't know why he has done this, but I trust him."

Yates lives in the same house, though he has removed most of the reminders of his children. Moving would simply add to his stress level, he said, and, "I like the house."

Yates said he finds solace in visiting a Web site that contains family pictures "as a memorial."

Though he said he does not believe he acted irresponsibly in any way, "I look back and I think, 'Yeah, there are things we could have changed and things we could have done differently.' "

Yates predicted his wife will do well in prison. "Andrea can get by with not a lot," he said. "She's a good woman."