Mary Kay Letourneau, a former middle school teacher who was convicted of raping her student but tied the knot with later, has passed away after a nine-month battle against cancer.
While the exact nature of her disease was not disclosed, the 58-year-old passed away surrounded by her loved ones.
Her attorney, David Gehrke, told KOMO of Letourneau’s death: “It was expected but sad anyway. She was a good person.”
Letourneau was a 34-year-old teacher in 1996 when Shorewood Elementary school found out that she was having an intimate relationship with Vili Faulaau, her 12-year-old student.
The two first met when the student was in her second-grade class and their relationship started about four years later.
It was Letourneau’s husband, Steve Letourneau, who discovered their illegal relationship after finding love letters and immediately notified the school.
Steve filed for divorce after Letourneau was charged with statutory rape, receiving sole custody of their children.
Letourneau, who was four months pregnant with Fualaau’s child at the time of her conviction, was initially sentenced to 3 months in prison.
But shortly after her release, she was found in a vehicle having sexual interaction with her former student and was sentenced to 7 years in jail on second-degree child rape charges.
The former teacher gave birth to young Faulaau’s second child while in jail.
After Letourneau’s release from jail, Fualaau, who was already an adult, petitioned for a judge to let them see together. While the restraining order against her was dropped, she remained a registered sex offender in the state.
Fualaau and Letourneau surprised the world once more when they got married in 2005. However, Faulauu decided to end their 12-year marriage and filed for divorce in 2017.
They continued to live together with their two daughters, Audrey and Georgina, as the legal separation proceeded.
A source close to the couple said at that time: “They don’t hate each other. But they’re both looking forward to getting on with their lives and moving forward.”
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