The date was June 20, 2001. Andrea Pia Kennedy-Yates, in the span of an (unsupervised) hour, drowned all five of her children in the family bathtub in Houston. Her motivation? She claimed that she had failed as a mother and that the only way to save her children from the Devil was through the ultimate sacrifice —giving up (murdering) her innocent children, saving them, but accepting her eternal damnation. (Keep in mind, the eldest child was 7 years old.)
The court proceedings lasted for 5 years and garnered national attention. Growing up in Houston, I personally remember this case more than any from watching the news throughout those years. The defense in the trial fought for — and won — the trial on the basis that Yates was clinically insane. There is no doubt about this, as countless medical evaluations proved it over and over again.
Throughout the course of the defense’s argument, it came to light that the Yates family were religious students of a man named Michael Peter Woroniecki. Woroniecki teaches an interpretation of Christianity than can easily be compared to that of the Westboro Baptist Church — full of vitriol and ridiculous twisting of the Bible. Now, where did the Yates family become familiar with this man’s teachings? Auburn University, where Russell “Rusty” Yates, a student at the time, and later husband of Andrea, met Woroniecki as he traveled around the country as an evangelist.
The defense in the trial focused heavily on this connection, as after Rusty left Auburn, he became even more engrossed with Woroniecki’s teachings and, upon meeting his wife some years later, brought her into the fold. Woroniecki’s teachings, combined with Andrea’s mental illness, served as the perfect combination to lead to the tragic events on that summer day in 2001.
Fast forward to this past November. On Nov. 3, two earnest-looking street preachers occupied the concourse in between the Student Center and Parker, preaching their interpretation of the Bible to anyone who passed by, often to disgust and anger by students and faculty alike. The Auburn community is familiar with these kinds of demonstrations, but this was a unique one — these street preachers were Mr. Woroniecki’s son and daughter.
Dangerous teachings such as the Woronieckis’ — which have proven to end in terrible disaster — have no place on our campus. Unfortunately, as a public institution, we have certain requirements to allow public forum, and as outlined in the University’s policies, this area is only confined to the steps of the RBD Library. (i.e. the aforementioned demonstration between the Student Center and Parker should have been shut down immediately)
While we can’t ban groups such as the Woroniecki’s outright, we can sustain dialogue with our fellow colleagues when such incidents do arise. Had someone challenged Mr. Woroniecki’s beliefs when he was at Auburn, or Rusty’s once he started falling into the fold, those 5 children could very well still be alive. We as an Auburn Family need to protect each other. We have to.
Drake Pooley
Harbert College of Business Senator
senior in marketing
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