Although Rusty Yates remained at Andrea Yates’ side during her first murder trial in 2002 (via The Los Angeles Times), Click2Houston writes that by 2004, Rusty decided to divorce his wife. He later told Oprah that this was not a decision he took lightly. Rusty explained, “My relationship with Andrea and with my kids, that was my whole life.” He added, “Then, when the tragedy occurred, it took me a while to come — and it was the hardest decision I ever made — to divorce Andrea because I think she’s wonderful. I think we had a great relationship. But, what I finally realized, was that because of her illness, I could never trust her again. I could never be in the same house with her.”
In 2006, Chron reported that Rusty married a woman named Laura Arnold. The publication notes that the two met at the Clear Lake Church of Christ. Rusty told the Associated Press that he informed Andrea of his impending nuptials and said, “she wishes me the best, just as I wish her the best” (via Chron). According to ABC News, Rusty and Arnold, who had two kids from a previous marriage, welcomed a child together in 2008.
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In a 2015 interview with Oprah, Rusty revealed their child’s name is Mark. Moreover, Rusty divulged that he was in a good place in his life. Nevertheless, he admitted that he still grieved his five children with Andrea (via HuffPost).
