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Mary Kay Letourneau was a schoolteacher who gained national attention when she was convicted of raping her 12-year-old student, Vili Fualaau, in 1997. Letourneau, who was 34 years old at the time, began a sexual relationship with Fualaau when he was her sixth-grade student.

She initially served a short prison sentence, but very shortly after her release, she was caught again with Fualaau and sent back to prison to serve her original sentence of seven years. Prior to her release, Letourneau had already given birth to two daughters with Fualaau. After Letourneau’s second release from prison in 2004, Letourneau and Fualaau were married in early 2005.

This case drew significant media attention and raised many questions about the nature of consent in cases involving adults and minors.

Letourneau passed away in July 2020 due to cancer.

Resources

Mary Kay Letourneau, Notes on a Scandal, Discovery+ documentary, released August 28, 2022, directed by Johnny Burke

Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau: A Timeline of Their Forbidden Relationship, Biography, July 8, 2020, https://www.biography.com/crime/mary-kay-letourneau-vili-fualaau-wedding-anniversary-scandal

Convicted sex offender Mary Kay Letourneau marries former victim, This Day In History, May 20, 2005, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mary-kay-letourneau-marries-former-victim

Mary Kay Letourneau and Her Student Victim: Inside the Relationship That Shocked a Nation, People, July 8, 2020, https://people.com/crime/mary-kay-letourneau-and-her-student-husband-vili-fualaau-now/