Inside Mary Kay Letourneau’s Life After Prison and Death at 58

When Mary Kay Letourneau began her career as a grade school teacher, she had no idea that a relationship with an underage student would eventually land her behind bars. 

In the early ’90s, Letourneau was a highly regarded teacher at Shorewood Elementary School in Burien, Wash. Around that time, she crossed paths with a young student named Vili Fualaau who was placed in her second grade class. Recognizing his artistic talent, she stepped in to mentor him—and by the time he was once again assigned to her class in sixth grade, the pair had formed a close bond. 

As the year progressed, Letourneau welcomed Fualaau into her home, helping him with his studies and even encouraging him to apply to a local arts school. But as time went on, it became clear that their relationship was escalating beyond appropriate boundaries.

During the summer of 1996, just as Fualaau turned 13, the pair’s relationship turned sexual. Letourneau, who was married with four children, kept their growing romance a secret, trying to hide their inappropriate relationship from her family, friends and peers. But Letourneau soon learned she was pregnant with Fualaau’s baby, which eventually led to an investigation by authorities. 

In late February 1997, Letourneau was arrested and charged with statutory rape of a minor. Prosecutors cited the extreme power imbalance between the pair, accusing Letourneau of using her position of authority to groom and manipulate Fualaau, a minor who was unable to consent. 

Letourneau pleaded guilty to second-degree child rape and that May, Letourneau and Fualaau’s first daughter was born while she was awaiting sentencing. Letourneau was initially sentenced to six months behind bars through a plea agreement but after being released, she violated the court’s no-contact order by meeting up with Fualaau. The plea deal was revoked and she was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. 

While in prison, Letourneau gave birth to the couple’s second child, another little girl. The case made tabloid headlines and drew public outrage, as Letourneau and Fualaau maintained that their relationship was consensual and loving. 

Despite all the controversy and court’s orders to stay apart, the couple stuck together and were married for over a decade. 

On August 4, 2004, Letourneau was released from prison after spending seven and a half years behind bars. She was sent to a community placement program and was required to register as a level 2 sex offender, per the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. She was also mandated to attend counseling and check-ins with a community corrections officer.

By that time, Fualaau was 21 years old. Although he was legally an adult, there was still a protective order in place that banned contact between him and Letourneau. As soon as Letourneau was released from prison, he filed a motion to lift the no-contact order. 

“The only reason what Mary did was a crime was because Vili was under 16. Now that he’s 21, there’s no need to protect him from her,” Letourneau’s former lawyer, David Gehrke, said at the time.  That August, the no-contact order was lifted with a spokesperson for King County telling the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that they had “taken into consideration the wishes of the victim, who is now an adult” and did not see any further legal basis to keep the order in place. 

Shortly after Letourneau’s release from prison, Fualaau proposed. News quickly spread of their engagement and the couple even received gifts and well-wishes from supporters around the country, per A&E’s Autobiography: Mary Kay Letourneau. 

The pair tied the knot in a May 2005 ceremony in front of 200 guests at the Columbia Winery in Woodinville, Wash. They received a six-figure sum for the TV rights to the wedding.

Following their marriage, Letourneau and Fualaau worked to regain custody of their two children who were in the care of his mother; Letourneau’s four children from her previous marriage also began to re-enter their mother’s life. Together, the family attempted to live a normal life.

“We do normal things,” Letourneau told People in 2006, adding that the family sometimes “all went out to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, then over to Blockbuster to get a movie.”

Although Letourneau intended to return to teaching at a private school or community college after having her teaching license revoked, she ultimately dedicated her career to working as a paralegal. Given her history, Letourneau said that she was well informed about the justice system and was able to be a listening ear for her clients. 

“I know how to structure the documents for court,” she said on Autobiography: Mary Kay Letourneau. “I know the court rules because I was in solitary confinement and had to memorize them.” 

For the majority of their marriage, Letourneau and Fualaau lived outside of the spotlight. Aside from occasional interviews, the couple focused on raising their children and supporting their family. 

After over a decade of marriage, Fualaau filed for legal separation from Letourneau in 2017, which “stunned” friends and family, according to People. While the pair remained close and attempted to rekindle their relationship through counseling, they ultimately moved forward with their spit. In August 2019, they finalized their separation. 

Just months after the couple’s legal separation was finalized, Letourneau was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. Despite their split, Fualaau stood by Letourneau’s side as fought the disease and acted as her caregiver. Ultimately, Letourneau’s health rapidly declined and she died at home in July 2020, surrounded by her children and Fualaau. 

“Mary fought tirelessly against this terrible disease,” her family said in a statement. “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.”

Letourneau was just 58. Most of her estate was left to Fualaau and their two daughters, according to People.   “She was my best friend,” Fualaau shared on The Dr. Oz Show, later adding, “The last thing she told me was that I was the most important person to her and that everything was going to be okay.”