As reported by Seattle Times, Robert Lee Yates Jr.'s parents were devout Seventh-Day Adventists, and Robert joined the church when he was 14 years old. When the family's church burned down, Robert and his father worked together to help rebuild it.

His uncle, Ernest Youderian, said his nephew was well-spoken and "never used any profanity." Youderian said if he had ever had children he would want them to "come up as good" as Robert.

Although he was described as a bit of a loner, Robert Lee Yates Jr. participated in a number of extracurricular activities, including football and choir. He also seemed to have a talent for writing poetry. His English teacher, Trudy Sundberg, said one of the poems he wrote, and read aloud in class, was comparable to Shakespeare.

Al Gatti, who was close friends with Robert Lee Yates Jr. in high school, said they spent a lot of their free time together fishing, hiking, hunting, and even working odd jobs to make extra money.

Following his high school graduation Robert Lee Yates Jr. earned an associates degree from Skagit Valley College and studied pre-med in Walla Walla.

As reported by Radford University's Department of Psychology, Robert Lee Yates' father said his son was "moody and violent" at times when he was a teenager. However, there were no reports of criminal activity prior to 1975 — when he killed his first two victims at the age of 23.

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