Child Killer Trial Inspired Desperate Housewives  8/24/06

TV coverage of the trial of a Texan woman accused of attempting to drown her five kids inspired Marc Cherry to create Desperate Housewives.

Cherry recalls watching the harrowing trial of Yates, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in her second murder trial for the bathtub drowning of her young children, with his mother.

He says, "I was watching this horrific tale on TV and I turned to my mother and I said, 'Gosh, can you imagine a woman being so desperate that she would hurt her own children?'

"My mother took her cigarette out of her mouth and said, 'Yeah, I've been there.'"