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</ref> She gave birth to two children by her young victim, [[Vili Fualaau]].<ref name = "SPI-031899" /> The two married in 2005, after he reached adulthood and she had spent several years in [[prison]] and divorced her first husband.<ref name = "SPI-Wedding">{{cite web
</ref> She gave birth to two children by the boy, [[Vili Fualaau]].<ref name = "SPI-031899" /> The two married in 2005, after he reached adulthood and she had spent several years in [[prison]] and divorced her first husband.<ref name = "SPI-Wedding">{{cite web
| title = Letourneau marries Fualaau amid media circus
| title = Letourneau marries Fualaau amid media circus
| url = http://www.seattlepi.com/local/225292_wedding21.html
| url = http://www.seattlepi.com/local/225292_wedding21.html

Revision as of 14:59, 23 May 2010

Mary Kay Letourneau
Born
Mary Katherine Schmitz

(1962-01-30) January 30, 1962 (age 62)
Orange County, California, U.S.
Other namesMary Kay Fualaau
Spouse(s)Steve Letourneau (1984-1999) (divorced)
Vili Fualaau (2005-present)
ChildrenSix (four by Letourneau; two by Fualaau)
Parent(s)John G. Schmitz and Mary E. Schmitz (née Suehr)
RelativesJohn P. Schmitz and Joseph E. Schmitz (brothers), four other siblings and two half-siblings

Mary Kay Fualaau (born Mary Katherine Schmitz; January 30, 1962), formerly Mary Kay Letourneau,[1] is an American former schoolteacher convicted in 1997 of the statutory rape of one of her students, a 13-year old boy, with whom the then-married mother of four had a longtime extramarital affair during the boy's teenage years.[2] She gave birth to two children by the boy, Vili Fualaau.[2] The two married in 2005, after he reached adulthood and she had spent several years in prison and divorced her first husband.[3] Her notoriety has turned her into a touchstone cultural reference and has spawned a number of television specials about her. She is also the daughter of a former prominent conservative political figure, John G. Schmitz, whose political career effectively ended due to his own teacher-student sex scandal. She now works as a waitress at the All-Star Sports Bar in Des Moines Washington.

Family background

Letourneau was born Mary Katherine Schmitz in Orange County, California to John G. Schmitz and Mary Schmitz. She became known as Mary Kay, and was affectionally called "Cake" by her father, who reportedly doted on his first-born daughter, who was the fourth of seven children he had with Mary Schmitz.[4][5]

Both of her parents were fairly prominent conservative political figures and Roman Catholics. During his political career, her father represented Orange County districts as a California state senator and U.S. Congressman as a member of the Republican Party, and he ran for president on the even more conservative American Independent Party ticket in the 1972 U.S. presidential election. The former U.S. Marine also was a longtime leader in the ultra-conservative John Birch Society until he was expelled by them for extremist rhetoric.[6] John Schmitz's political career effectively came to an end in 1982, when he admitted to a longtime extramarital affair in which he fathered two children out-of-wedlock with one of his former students at Santa Ana College, a local community college where he had taught political science. The revelation also ended the work of his wife, who left her position as a conservative commentator on a political round-table television show. Previously, Mary Schmitz had become known as the "West Coast Phyllis Schlafly" for her vigorous opposition to ERA, the Equal Rights Amendment.[4][7][8] Two of Mary Kay's siblings, however, continued in the tradition of their parents' prominent conservatism, as elder brothers John P. Schmitz and Joseph E. Schmitz have both served in high posts in recent Republican presidential administrations.

Her father's affair also caused her parents to separate, but they reconciled. According to some friends of hers at the time, she took her father's side in the affair, telling these friends that her mother was a cold person who "drove him to it" by denying him affection.[9] Other friends from back then say she felt as betrayed as her mother did.[10] Her father never financially supported or helped to raise her half-siblings by his mistress, who became wards of the state and went to an orphanage after their mother died and their subsequent guardian (high-profile Washington D.C. astrologer-psychic and real-estate businesswoman Jeane Dixon, a close friend of Mary Schmitz, who also employed Mrs. Schmitz in D.C. real estate after the affair revelation[11]) also then died after two years of caring for them.

During her high school years, she attended Cornelia Connelly High School, an all-girls Catholic school in Anaheim, California, where she was a member of the cheerleading squad for the nearby all-boys Catholic school, Servite High School, where she met and dated, among others, future NBA referee Ron Garretson.[citation needed] (With single-sex institutions, it is commonplace for so-called "sister schools" to supply cheerleaders for nearby "brother schools.") She was reportedly known as a party-girl who was very interested in boys and would frequent fraternity parties at a nearby university. For college, she decided to move one state over, leaving California to enroll at Arizona State University, long infamously ranked as one of the nation's top party schools,[12][13] where she reportedly continued her partying ways.[14]

It was there that she met fellow student Steve Letourneau, with whom she became pregnant. One day in class, she started having a miscarriage. Like her parents, she was strongly opposed to abortion, and her mother urged doctors not to do a dilation and curettage, on the chance that she might be carrying twins, which doctors discovered she was. She remained pregnant with the one embryo which survived the miscarriage. She reportedly had doubts about marrying Letourneau because, among other things, she did not think she loved him, but after consulting with her parents who urged her to marry him, she did so and the couple dropped out of college.[15]

The couple moved to his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska, where he took up work as a baggage handler for Alaska Airlines. The couple reportedly had financial problems making ends meet that caused her occasionally to beg her parents for money.[16] The couple also reportedly had marital problems, with him having extramarital affairs that left her feeling jealous and emotionally neglected.[17] After a year in Alaska, his job was transferred to Seattle, where the couple moved and she took care of what soon became a total of four children by day, while taking classes at Seattle University at night so she could become a teacher. She graduated in 1989, and began teaching second grade at Shorewood Elementary School in the Seattle-suburb of Burien, Washington.

She now lives in Normandy Park Washington and works at the All-Star sports bar in Des Moines Washington. You can see her there most nights and Vili DJ's on the weekends.

Teacher-student relationship

Letourneau first met Vili Fualaau when he was a student in her second grade class at Shorewood Elementary School in Burien, Washington.[18] She became his teacher again when he was in the sixth grade, when she became the teacher of a combined fifth and sixth grade class in which Fualaau was a student. She began a personal relationship with her then-student when he was 12 years old.[19] Letourneau became pregnant by him when she was 35, and he was 13. [18] Her husband became aware of the situation in February 1997, after discovering letters sent between his wife and her student; her husband shared this knowledge with family members.[citation needed] His brother then reported the relationship to local child protection services.[citation needed]

Statutory rape arrest and conviction

Mary Kay Letourneau was arrested on February 26, 1997 for the statutory rape of Vili Fualaau, then a 13-year-old adolescent. Computerized records show that the case entered the King County Superior Court on March 4, 1997, as case number 97-1-01523-1, but that records are currently archived.[20] As to the law:[21]

  • Washington State criminalizes most consensual acts of sexual intercourse with unmarried minors, under the age of 16 (known as the age of consent).
  • There is an exception if the older participant does not exceed the (24-, 36, or 48- month) age difference specified by statute.
  • These statutory rape offenses are codified in the The Revised Code of Washington, as a felony in three degrees, each entitled "Rape of a child".
  • The offenses are cited as R.C.W. Title 9A, Chapter 44 (Sex Offenses), Sections 44.073, 44.076, and 44.079.
  • The degree of any particular offense depends on the victim's age (First degree: Victim under 12; Second degree: Victim between 12 and 14; Third degree: Victim at least 14, but under 16).

The King County Sheriff's Office's sex offender record on Mary Kay Letourneau show a conviction for "9A.44.076 - Rape of a child in the second degree" entered on 08/05/1997.

On August 7, 1997, Letourneau received a sentence of 89 months imprisonment, suspended after 6 months, on two counts of second-degree statutory rape, by Judge Linda Lau. The time was to be served in county jail, with additional terms of the sentence including enrollment in a three-year sex offender treatment program, and a condition restraining her from contact with the victim, Fualaau.

She was released from jail early on January 1, 1998 for good behavior after serving 3 months.

However, on February 3, 1998, police discovered Letourneau in a car with Fualaau and arrested her for violating the conditions of her suspended sentence. She had also failed to comply with her sex offender treatment program. In the car, police found $6200 in cash, baby clothes, and a passport, suggesting that Letourneau had been planning to leave the country.

As a result, the original sentencing judge, Judge Lau, ordered the remaining 83 months of the suspended sentence (or about seven years) reimposed.

In March 1998, prison officials discovered that Letourneau was pregnant with another child by Fualaau. Their second daughter was born in Tacoma on October 16, 1998, and the mother was returned to prison. In May 1999, while she was in prison, she and her first husband Steve Letourneau were divorced. He received custody of their four children and relocated the family to Alaska.[22] Letourneau spent 18 of the first 24 months of this sentence in solitary confinement for various reasons.[23] In January, 2001, Letourneau's father died, and she was denied permission to attend the funeral.[24]

In 2002, Fualaau's family sued the Highline School District and the city of Des Moines, Washington, for emotional suffering, lost wages, and the costs of rearing his two children, claiming the school and the Des Moines Police Department had failed to protect him from Letourneau.[25] During the highly publicized ten week trial, high-profile defense lawyer Anne Bremner, who represented the Des Moines Police Department, and Michael Patterson, who represented the Highline School District, convinced the jury, in the words of Bremner that "nothing could keep them apart". The jury agreed, and no damages were awarded.[26]

Life after prison

Letourneau was released on community placement on August 4, 2004. She registered as a Level 2 sex offender and will have to have her address verified every 90 days.[27] Fualaau, age 21 at the time, applied to the court to lift the no-contact order.[27] On August 7, 2004, Superior Court Judge Linda Lau lifted the injunction she placed in 1997 and allowed Fualaau and Letourneau to see each other.[28] Letourneau and Fualaau were married on May 20, 2005 in the Seattle suburb of Woodinville in a ceremony at the Columbia Winery, covered by the media.[3] Access to the wedding was strictly controlled by the television show Entertainment Tonight, which reportedly paid for exclusive access,[3] although photographs were released to other media outlets. Mary Kay Letourneau now goes by the legal name of Mary Kay Fualaau. She has stated that she would like another child and would like to return to teaching,[29] and that she is permitted to teach at private schools and community colleges.[29]

Mary Kay and Vili Fualaau have hosted several "Hot for Teacher Night" promotions at a Seattle nightclub.[30] During these events, Vili performs as "DJ Headline", while Mary Kay hosts.[31]

TV shows and movies

Cultural references

  • Singer/songwriter Jill Sobule wrote a song about Letourneau, "Mary Kay", appearing on her album Pink Pearl. The tone is alternately sympathetic and sarcastic.
  • On the seventh episode of the second season of 30 Rock Liz Lemon compares her relationship with a 20 year old Jaime to Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau.
  • Letourneau was mentioned on the fourth episode in season four of Everybody Hates Chris.
  • Letourneau was mentioned on the fourth episode in season three of The L Word.
  • Letourneau was also mentioned in 2gether's song "awesum luvr" by QT - "Mary K. Letourneau, she knew the truth. It's all the young dudes who've got the best moves".
  • Mary Kay Letourneau was referenced by Lorelai in the twentieth episode of the first season of Gilmore Girls when she and Rory are playing a game they made up, called "One, Two, Three."
  • In 2007, a comical sketch show entitled "The Mary Kay Letourneau Story: A Karaoke Musical" was produced and performed by the Gorilla Tango Theatre in Chicago, IL.[32]
  • In a season four episode of Without a Trace, Letourneau is referenced by Special Agent Vivian Johnson, who is investigating the disappearance of a school teacher, suspected of having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
  • In the Gossip Girl episode, "Carrnal Knowledge", Blair refers to Mary Kay Letourneau as she sends a text message to Gossip Girl on seeing Dan Humphrey and a teacher, starting a rumor that they're having an affair.
  • In the Nip/Tuck episode "Ricky Wells," an 18-year-old boy asks for surgery to make him look older. He recently married his second grade teacher, convicted sex offender "Kerri May." She was arrested for statutory rape, released on good behavior, then caught in a car having sex with him again and sent back to prison for the full term. After released, the no-contact ban was lifted and they were married a week later.
  • Mary Kay Letourneau is spoofed in a season ten episode of South Park. Ike Broflovski begins a relationship with his kindergarten teacher, Ms. Stephenson. As with the case of Mary Kay Letourneau, the student's brother goes to the authorities.

See also

References

  1. ^ "California Births, 1905 - 1995". Family Tree Legends Records Collection (Online Database). Pearl Street Software. 2005. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
  2. ^ a b Wilson, Kimberly A.C. (March 18, 1999). "Letourneau may be transferred to out-of-state prison". Local. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c "Letourneau marries Fualaau amid media circus". Local. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. May 21, 2005. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Mary Kay Letourneau's father dies". Local. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. January 12, 2001. Retrieved May 12, 2009. Cite error: The named reference "Spi-MK-Dad2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ Noe, Denise. Mary Kay Letourneau: The Romance that was a Crime. From chapter entitled "The Politician's Family." [1] Entire work available at truTV.com website, as part of its "Crime Library."
  6. ^ Warrick, Pamela. "The Fall from Spyglass Hill." Los Angeles Times. 29-04-1998. Retrieved 22-10-2009. Page 3. [2]
  7. ^ Noe, Denise. Mary Kay Letourneau: The Romance that was a Crime. From chapter entitled "The Politician's Family". [3] Entire work available at truTV.com website, as part of its "Crime Library."
  8. ^ Noe, Denise. Mary Kay Letourneau: The Romance that was a Crime. From chapter entitled "Scandal of the Second Family." [4] Entire work available at truTV.com website, as part of its "Crime Library."
  9. ^ Noe, Denise. Mary Kay Letourneau: The Romance that was a Crime. From chapter entitled "Scandal of the Second Family." [5] Entire work available at truTV.com website, as part of its "Crime Library."
  10. ^ Warrick, Pamela. "The Fall from Spyglass Hill." Los Angeles Times. 29-04-1998. Retrieved 22-10-2009. Page 4. [6]
  11. ^ Warrick, Pamela. "The Fall from Spyglass Hill." Los Angeles Times. 29-04-1998. Retrieved 22-10-2009. Page 4. [7]
  12. ^ [8]
  13. ^ [9]
  14. ^ Noe, Denise. Mary Kay Letourneau: The Romance that was a Crime. From chapter entitled "The Politician's Family." [10] Entire work available at truTV.com website, as part of its "Crime Library."
  15. ^ Noe, Denise. Mary Kay Letourneau: The Romance that was a Crime. From chapter entitled "Marrying Mr. Right Now." [11] Entire work available at truTV.com website, as part of its "Crime Library."
  16. ^ Noe, Denise. Mary Kay Letourneau: The Romance that was a Crime. From chapter entitled "Marrying Mr. Right Now." [12] Entire work available at truTV.com website, as part of its "Crime Library."
  17. ^ Noe, Denise. Mary Kay Letourneau: The Romance that was a Crime. From chapter entitled "Marrying Mr. Right Now." [13] Entire work available at truTV.com website, as part of its "Crime Library."
  18. ^ a b Gartner, Richard B. (1999). "Encoding Sexual Abuse as Sexual Initiation". Betrayed as Boys: Psychodynamic Treatment of Sexually Abused Men (Google Book Search). New York: Guilford Press. p. 45. ISBN 9781572306448. OCLC 317520944. LCCN 98-0 – 0. Retrieved May 12, 2009. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Morales, Tatiana (August 3, 2004). "What's Next For LeTourneau?". The Early Show. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  20. ^ Case Number 97-1-01523-1 (Letourneau, Mary Kay). "King County Superior Court, Case Search". State of Washington. Retrieved April 10, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ Criminal Code, Sex Offenses (2007). "Revised Code of Washington". Washington State Legislature.
  22. ^ Hatcher, Candy (April 19, 2000). "Letourneau can profit from story, appeals court rules". Local. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  23. ^ Jerome, Richard (July 26, 2004). "Together Again?". People. 62 (4). Time Inc. Retrieved June 1, 2001.
  24. ^ "Mary K. Letourneau's father dies; she won't get to attend funeral". Local. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. January 11, 2001. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  25. ^ Johnson, Tracy (March 22, 2002). "Fualaau's suit says he wasn't protected from Letourneau". Local. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  26. ^ Skolnik, Sam (May 21, 2002). "Schools, police absolved in Fualaau case". Local. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  27. ^ a b Skolnik, Sam (August 5, 2004). "Letourneau registers as sex offender". Local. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 11, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "Letourneau now allowed to see former student". Local. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. August 7, 2004. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  29. ^ a b "Letourneau and Fualaau, one year later". Dateline NBC. June 2, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2009. Cite error: The named reference "Dateline" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  30. ^ Associated Press (May 21, 2009). "Letourneau, young spouse to host " Hot for Teacher" night". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  31. ^ McNerthney, Casey (May 24, 2009). "Inside the Mary Kay Letourneau "Hot For Teacher" night". The Big Blog. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  32. ^ "The Mary Kay Letourneau Story: A Karaoke Musical". Time Out Chicago. 2007. Retrieved May 11, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  • Letourneau, Mary Kay (1999). Un seul crime, l'amour (Only one crime, love). Paris, France: Robert Laffont. ISBN 2-221-08812-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • McElroy, W. (2004). No panic over school child abuse. Commentary: The Independent Institute. (Request reprint).
  • Olsen, Gregg (1999). If Loving You is Wrong. New York, NY: St. Martins: True Crime.
  • Robinson, J. (2001). The Mary Kay Letourneau Affair. Overland Park, KS: Leathers Publishing.
  • Dress, C. (2004). Mass With Mary: The Prison Years. Trafford, BC, Canada: Trafford Publishing.

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