Andrea Yates drowned her five children in their Clear Lake home. It was a case that shocked Houston and the nation.

HOUSTON — George Parnham, the attorney who has represented Andrea Yates since the day after she killed her five children, continues to advocate for his client nearly 25 years later, regularly visiting her at the state mental hospital where she has chosen to remain for the rest of her life.

Parnham first met Yates in June 2001, one day after the tragic drownings at the family’s Clear Lake home. A jail psychiatrist immediately warned him about the severity of her condition.

“She has a bald spot on top of her head,” Parnham recalled the psychiatrist telling him. “She’s trying to scratch the 666 off the top of her head.”

On June 1, 2001, Yates drowned her five children—aged 6 months to 7 years—in the family bathtub while her husband Rusty, a NASA engineer, was at work. She then tucked four of them into bed. The oldest, Noah, was too heavy to move.

Yates was initially convicted in 2002, but that conviction was overturned because prosecution witness Dr. Park Dietz gave false testimony. In 2006, she was retried and found not guilty by reason of insanity.

At the time Parnham addressed reporters saying, “This case is almost a watershed for mental illness in criminal justice system.” The trial changed perceptions of women’s mental health both socially and legally, sparking national attention about postpartum depression and psychosis.

RELATED: Andrea Yates: 25 Years Later | Streaming on KHOU 11+ Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Despite spending decades on the case, Parnham revealed he never asked Yates directly about what happened that day fearing she was too fragile. “I never asked her,” he said. “I always got what I wanted to get out of the testimony of the witnesses.”

As the case approaches its 25th anniversary, renewed attention and new theories have emerged, including speculation about cult influences. Parnham dismissed such theories, explaining that Yates was deeply delusional. “She was so delusional… did not want them to grow up in a sinful world. And that’s why she did what she did,” explained Parnham

Today, at age 84, Parnham has retired from most legal matters but continues to represent Yates and regularly visits her at the Kerrville State Mental Hospital. “She likes Cracker Barrel, so I go get lunch at Cracker Barrel and we’ll sit on the back and have lunch,” he said.

According to Parnham, Yates has made significant progress and even helps other patients with troubles. “Andrea will act as a go-between and talk to them,” he noted.

Each year, Yates waives her right to ask for a release or transfer. When asked if this means she will remain at the hospital for the rest of her life, Parnham confirmed, “That’s where she wants to stay.”

Parnham and his wife also regularly visit the children’s graves at the cemetery in Webster, where small toys sit along the family headstone. “I get flowers for the kids’ graves,” Parnham said, attributing his actions to his background. “I think from an emotional standpoint, it’s a carryover from my days in the seminary.”

A little-known fact about the storied criminal defense attorney is that Parnham spent five years as a teenager in seminary studying for the priesthood. When asked if that influenced how he responded to Andrea, he said, “No question.”

Parnham recalled his first meeting with Yates in the Harris County Jail, when she said only one thing the entire time: “Please don’t leave me alone.”

He hasn’t — not for two and a half decades.

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