8 Shocking Details From ‘The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story’

Warning: The following post contains discussions of child abuse, violence against children, and issues regarding mental health.

In June 2001, mother Andrea Yates systematically drowned her five children in the bathtub of her Houston home. After committing this horrific act of violence that shocked the nation, and after several high-profile trials, she was eventually found not guilty by reason of insanity.

It was determined that Yates was suffering from psychosis brought on by severe postpartum depression, made worse by the influence of her pastor, Michael Woroniecki, a former street preacher with extremist views that might have exacerbated Yates’ mental illness.

Investigation Discovery’s The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story explores the influence preacher Michael Woroniecki had over Andrea Yates, and how his teachings helped shape the mindset that ultimately led to the murder of her children. Rather than focusing solely on one woman’s descent, the series examines how a single figure can fracture reality for an entire group, using isolation, constant messaging, and fear.

Here is a look at just a few of the shocking revelations uncovered in the docuseries.

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Michael Woroniecki believed Satan was everywhere and encouraged his followers to live off the grid

Woroniecki’s core teaching was that doomsday was approaching

For Michael Woroniecki’s followers, the stakes could not have been higher. Not only was the world coming to an end, but there was also the belief that space in heaven would be limited. According to Woroniecki, it was all happening very soon, and his message fueled ongoing fear and panic among those who believed him.

Woroniecki relied on cassette tapes and VHS recordings to indoctrinate his followers, repeatedly reinforcing the idea that the end of days was imminent and driving intense anxiety throughout his flock. “That’s the point with Michael’s teachings. It’s such an extreme, dogmatic, high-stakes belief. It’s your soul for eternity,” former follower Storm explains in the docuseries.

One of his cassettes was found with Andrea Yates at the time of the tragedy.

Courtesy of Rusty Yates

Andrea had a nervous breakdown in 1999

“She said a few things that were a little bit off. Andrea began to get concerned about the kids knowing their ABCs. They would say part of it and mess up, or whatever, Andrea would think, ‘Oh, they should know that,'” revealed her husband Rusty Yates. “Andrea very quickly declined after that. She was very nearly catatonic and wouldn’t say anything, so we didn’t know what was going on in her head.”

Woroniecki believed “Violence was seen as a highway to God”

Moses Storm, a former follower who grew up under David Woroniecki’s domineering influence, explained that Woroniecki encouraged corporal punishment and far worse. “We were beaten with pieces of plywood,” Storm said. “I had to write in Sharpie, ‘I Corinthians II,’ and copy the Bible verse onto the board I was about to be hit with.”

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Even worse, Woroniecki would often demonstrate to his followers how to beat children in what he deemed the correct manner.

Storm shared the story of his sister who made a friend with another young child. Sadly, she made the mistake of sharing her new friendship with her parents, who were livid that the young girl had a relationship with a person outside of Woroniecki’s circle. “She was beaten for an entire day. That is something Michael would approve of,” said Storm. “All because she liked a friend.”

The doctors told Andrea and Rusty it was a bad idea to have more children

A few months after her son Luke was born, her husband Rusty found Andrea in the bathroom with a knife to her own neck. Locked in a catatonic trance, Andrea was then hospitalized and diagnosed with postpartum depression. The doctors put her on medication and told the couple, “I wouldn’t think of having more children.” They were told there was a 50/50 chance she would relapse if the couple had another child.

Soon after, Andrea stopped taking her meds and became pregnant with her fifth child, Mary.

Woroniecki taught that women were servants

Michael Woroniecki believed that because of Eve’s sin, all women inherited what he described as a witchcraft nature, and that it was a man’s responsibility to keep women from becoming controlling. Submission, in his view, was mandatory. In the docuseries, Woroniecki can be heard declaring, “In the heart of every single woman is a powerful sort of Satan to demean, to oppress, to attack the men of God, to nullify God’s word.” His wife, Rachel, often referred to herself as her husband’s servant.

When Moses Storm’s mother briefly left Woroniecki’s fold and later returned, he made an example of her, publicly humiliating her during his street preaching and branding her a failure given over to wickedness.

Another former follower, David de la Isla, recounts how Woroniecki’s influence led him to turn his back on his fiancée, a decision he said he deeply regrets.

Courtesy of Rusty Yates

Letters to Andrea Yates that may have played a role in her psychological deterioration

Author Suzy Spencer was researching her book Breaking Point when a “mystery source” provided her with correspondence between Michael Woroniecki’s wife, Rachel, and Andrea. In the letters, Rachel repeatedly talks down to Andrea, framing her as a bad mother and a bad person, further isolating her under the guise of friendship and spiritual guidance. One warning is particularly chilling: “If you allow Satan to come in and still be understanding, the consequences will be tragic.”

According to Spencer, letters from both Michael and Rachel Woroniecki played a significant role in convincing Andrea she was possessed by the devil.

Andrea Yates’ original conviction was overturned because of false expert testimony involving Law & Order

At her 2002 trial, the prosecution’s forensic psychiatrist testified that an episode of Law & Order had aired shortly before the killings, depicting a woman with postpartum depression drowning her children and being acquitted by reason of insanity. Prosecutors used this testimony to argue that Yates had seen the show and copied the plot, and therefore understood the difference between right and wrong, undermining her insanity defense. However, it turned out that no such episode ever existed.

The false testimony about Law & Order presented by an expert witness undermined the reliability of the original verdict, which then led to a new trial.

The Cult Behind The Killer: The Andrea Yates Story, Now Streaming, HBO Max

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, or contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). If you or a loved one is in immediate danger, call 911.

If you or someone you know is the victim of child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.