Andrea Yates verdict - huh?

[mikeandroe]

A little late to this barn-burner, but as a very opinionated person, I am compelled to add my $0.02....

My beef is with the whole "NOT guilty by reason of insanity". It seems to me that more appropriate verdict in this case is..Guilty, but crazy as a loon.

I guess I just don't understand how one can be removed from the sphere of "guilt" just because there's something missing up top (chemical imbalance, crossed wires, whatever you wish to call it)

Did she do it? Absolutely, there's no doubt about this whatsoever, ergo she is guilty. The question of guilt (imho) begins and ends with "did they do it?" Mental, emotional, financial, etc... state at the time of the crime are extraneous and irrelevant factors in detirmining "guilt"

Is she crazy? Again, in my mind, there is no doubt of this. Her actions are (in my very non-professional, non-medical opinion) clearly those of an unstable mind. (unstable is really an understatement, stark-raving mad comes closer)

So the primary problem with this whole scenario is that our current laws allow her to escape the "realm of guilt" simply because of her mental state. Makes no sense to me.