A Texas appeals court overturned the convicton of Andrea Yates, the woman who was convicted of drowning her children in the bathtub and ordered a new trial to be held in the case. The three judges deciding the appeal found that the jury may have been prejudiced by the false testimony of a prosecution witness.

The witness in question, psychiatrist Park Dietz, claimed he had been a consultant on an episode of the TV show 'Law & Order' involving a case similar to Yates's in which a woman was found innocent by reason of insanity for drowning her own children. It was later learned that no such episode of the show existed. The judges felt that Dietz's testimony that Yates was not insane was a key to the prosecution's case.

'We conclude that there is a reasonable likelihood that Dr. Dietz's false testimony could have affected the judgment of the jury,' the court ruled. 'We further conclude that Dr. Dietz's false testimony affected the substantial rights of appellant.'

Despite the overturning of the convictions, Yates is not likely to go home anytime soon. She is still on medication for mental illness and will be required to remain in a mental hospital for the foreseeable future according to most experts.