The case Cragen refers to is of Andrea Yates, a Texas woman who confessed to drowning her five children in their bathtub on June 20, 2001. She had been suffering for some time with very severe postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. She was tried and convicted on five counts of first degree murder, while the DA had originally sought the death penalty at trial they took it off the table after it was proven that one of the state's expert witnesses lied on the stand, at sentencing she was given life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. However shortly afterwards the conviction was overturned by the appellate court. On July 26, 2006, the Texas jury in her retrial found that Yates was not guilty by reason of insanity. She was consequently committed by the court to the North Texas State Hospital.
Richard Belzer and Zeljko Ivanek starred together on Homicidio (1993) as Det. John Munch and ASA Ed Danvers, respectfully.