THE TROUB LIFE OF MARY
FOLLOWING HER DEATH, WE LOOK INSIDE THE FORBIDDEN LOVE BETWEEN THE TEACHER AND HER STUDENT
American school teacher Mary Kay Letourneau became the subject of international scandal after pleading guilty to raping her sixth-grade student, Vili Fualaau – only to have then two children with him and later get married.
Now, their families have confirmed that the 58-year-old lost a months-long battle with metastatic cancer.
“Mary fought tirelessly against this terrible disease,” read a statement provided to People magazine. A source close to the family told the publication that Mary showed signs of weight loss and fatigue during her final months battling the cancer.
“Mary, and all of us, found great strength in having our immediate and extended family members together to join her in this arduous struggle. We did our very best to care for Mary and one another as we kept her close and stayed close together,” the family statement concluded.
Mary Kay infamously skyrocketed to notoriety when details about what happened came to light following a 1997 rape trial. At that time, Mary Kay had four children with her husband Steve and lived in Seattle where she worked as a school teacher.
The Letourneaus’ marriage, however, was reportedly an unhappy one due to financial problems and a history of affairs and unsubstantiated alleged abusive behaviour.
Samoan American student Vili was Mary Kay’s pupil in both second grade and then again in sixth grade. In 1996, their relationship crossed a line when Mary, who was 34, pursued her 12- or 13-year-old student, with the pair seen together in her car.
Police were tipped off about the questionable relationship, which was compounded by Mary Kay’s lie to authorities that Vili was an 18-year-old family friend.
She was subsequently charged with rape and at trial received a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
A plea agreement was initially struck, seeing Mary Kay’s sentence reduced to six months in jail and three years of sex offender treatment – but under the condition that she was to have no contact Vili.
A fortnight after completing her reduced three months’ sentence, police again found Mary Kay and Vili together in a car near her home, resulting in the full sentence being reinstated.
Throughout the time that she was on trial and in and out of prison, Mary Kay fell pregnant twice to Vili, producing two daughters.
Upon completing her jail term in 2004, Mary Kay was greeted by a waiting media circus that had become fascinated by the strange case.
The following year, Mary Kay and Vili, who was now 21, married in Washington, with the exclusive access rights to
“MANY PEOPLE FOUND IT WEIRD HOW THEY WERE DIVORCING BUT CONTINUED TO BE SO CLOSE”
their wedding also sold to a media outlet.
In subsequent years, Mary Kay and Vili along with other members of their inner circle have spoken out about the early days of the illicit relationship. On multiple occasions, the former teacher repeatedly pleaded ignorance over her actions with a student.
“[I]f anyone had told me, there is a specific law that says this is a crime, I did not know. I’ve said this over and over again,” Mary Kay reiterated