The former Washington middle school teacher, Mary Kay Letourneau, who was jailed for raping her student, whom she later married, has died at the age of 58 after battling stage 4 colon cancer.
Her attorney, David Gehrke, confirmed Letourneau’s passing, stating that she had been battling cancer for months before her death on Tuesday, July 7.
Letourneau, a married mother of four at the time, had engaged in a sexual relationship with Vili Fualaau, a 12-year-old student in her class at Shorewood Elementary. They were discovered by the police in a minivan at Des Moines Marina.
Initially, Letourneau claimed that Fualaau was 18 years old, but suspicions of a sexual relationship arose. She later became pregnant with Fualaau’s child and pleaded guilty to child rape, receiving a 7 1/2-year prison sentence.
After serving her prison term, Letourneau and Fualaau married in 2005. They characterized their relationship as one of love and co-authored a book titled “Only One Crime, Love.” Their story was also depicted in a USA Network movie, “All American Girl.”
However, the couple separated in 2017, with Fualaau filing for a legal separation in King County court.