Suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, Louis Yates, told a Portimão Court that he believed his mother was the devil and that the CIA had told him to kill her.
Yates, 31, slit his mother’s throat, beat her, stamped on her head, doused her in acid and stuck cigarette ends into her vagina. The attack happened on August 4th, 2018 at the family home at Caramujeira, Lagoa.
In a largely incoherent speech, Louis Yates accused his father, who was in Court with his elder son, of causing his mental problems by adding LSD to the water system of the villa near Lagoa.
Louis told the judges that he regrets killing his mother, Christine, but was high on drugs at the time. State prosecutors argue that the accused should not be held criminally responsible for his actions.
The prosecution indictment detailed how Louis kicked and punched his mother in the head and body between midday and 3.50pm on the day of her death.
He then cut her throat before defiling her with the cigarette butts, pouring acid over her body, stamping on her head and body before dragging her to a patio where he continued his assault.
Prosecutors said in she had bled to death from her neck wounds.
The victim earlier that day had called the police and officers were told that Louis had assaulted her and that she was in fear for her life.
The officers left after Christine Yates said she did no want to go to hospital because she was worried Louis would set light to the house.
A concerned neighbour later called cops after checking on the household and seeing Christine’s body on the ground, while her son smoked and drank water.
The killer told the court his behaviour changed after he took drugs and that he had consumed cannabis the day of the murder.
Mrs Yates’ estate was worth £2.6m which included the Delaware firm that owned the Lagoa villa.
Yates’ brother and father left court without comment.
Despite the murder confession, the court case will continue on June 5.
The three judges then will retire to consider their verdict but are expected to confirm Louis Yates should be confined to a high-security prison hospital after declaring that he is not criminally responsible for his actions.
Comments
For better or worse, we have a blame culture in our society. It does not get us much further to suggest that this man is insane; we could say that he was criminally irresponsible to be taking drugs (whichever they were).
But what is the best way in society to deal with people such as this? Perhaps he should have been locked up a long time ago.
Christine was a gentle soul who had on numerous occasions sent Louis to a psychologist.
He had badly attacked a friend who visited them on holiday a few years back and the police had been called. Louis was taken to Portimao hospital, kept a few days and as happened every time,released.
I could tell of many such occasions.
I am heartbroken that this lovely lady should end her days in this horrendous way. She never truly believed that he would harm her. I warned her many times that one day he would kill her.
To use a tragedy like this to attack and show contempt to the people and country where you reside is not just ignorant it is despicable.
Perhaps Ms Yeats was fearful of her son being committed to to a mental health facility that she remained with her son instead of going to the hospital.