Law & Order had a supporting role in the closing days of the trial of
Andrea Yates.
A witness for the prosecution contended that a Law & Order episode
where a mother drowned her children and was found not guilty by reason of
insanity might have influenced Yates to drown her own five children. But defense
lawyers contended that there was no such episode.
The show's producers backed up the defense. There is no episode with a story
line similar to Yates' crime and insanity defense, according to Studios USA, the
production company behind the NBC series.
A Studios USA spokesperson said that during the series' 12-year run, there
have been episodes where mothers killed their children. But there is no episode
with a plot that mirrors the Yates case.
The series frequently bases plots on cases plucked from the
headlines.
