Mary Kay Letourneau, 42, the elementary school teacher who served 7 and a half years in prison for raping her former pupil, Vili Fualaau when he was just 12 years old, was released on August 4. Slipping past the throng of reporters and the curious before dawn, Mary Kay has always maintained that she would like to continue her relationship with Vili, with whom she has two daughters, now 5 and 7 currently being raised by Vili’s mother.
The now 21 year old Vili feels the same way and within hours of Letourneau’s release, Fualaau’s attorney filed a motion to overturn the court order that still forbids any contact between them overturned. "He is now an adult and, as an adult, is requesting that the court allow him to associate with other adults of his own choosing, specifically Mary K. Letourneau," the motion reads. Doesn’t it all make you feel squishy inside?
Vili is an adult (although apparently still not mature enough to take over the rearing of his own children) and Mary Kay is technically and adult and there is nothing wrong with them resuming their relationship if that is what they choose to do. If this was a story only about an adult man who wants to carry on a relationship with the woman convicted of raping him 7 years before, then the story might very well end there. (I’m pretty sure I’d feel the same way if a 21 year old woman wanted to continue a relationship with the convicted pedophile convicted of raping her.)
Where all this gets a little tricky is that this is not simply a story about two sick twists overcoming all obstacles in the name of love. The couple has 2 children. May Kay is a convicted rapist of a 12 year old boy. She has in the past shown an unwillingness to undergo sexual offender treatment. In short, Mark Kay Letourneau could still be a very dangerous person, and it’s a non-brainer to assume that any re-unification plan involves Mary Kay and Vili raising their daughters and living happily ever after.
Before authorities let Mary Kay back into the lives of her love-children, there had better be some tough questions answered about how fit a parent she would be. You shouldn’t just let a pedophile anywhere near children without having at least some assurance that the children will be safe, and it would take some time to prove this to my satisfaction. Frankly, Mrs. Letourneau should probably be kept as far away from her children as possible. (And I’m absolutely sure I’d feel the same way if Mary Kay were a man hoping to get back into the lives of his children.)
Letourneau still does not understand why what she did was wrong, and accepts no responsibility for her immoral and unethical behaviour. From her official website, we can find the "If... then Why?" article written by Mary Kay which says in part :
If Vili and I became involved while we were both students together in a college summer class... Then why have the prosecution and the media insisted on painting a different picture - one that tries to force the public to see and respond to this case as if it happened when we were student-teacher to each other?
Because you WEREN'T both students in a college summer class, DUH! She hasn’t a clue!
The legal system may decide that Mary Kay can see Vili but not their children (or allowing her to see them under severe limitations.) Unfortunately, they’ve proven that they don’t take such court orders very seriously. Obviously May Kay wants what Mary Kay wants. It won’t be long before the happy family is caught trying to skip state lines, forcing the state to remove the children even if they might be perfectly safe.
The only situations that have any possibility of ending well for their daughters is either allowing Mary Kay and Vili to get back together and raise their children without limitations or interference or taking the girls into protective custody immediately.
I lean towards taking them away, but it’s all so futile. Forced sterilization is probably "unconstitutional” so it won’t be long before we learn that their third child is on the way. Soon after (or before) Vili will leave, leaving this new child (or all 3 children) to be raised by Letourneau (not the most stable or responsible person in the world) alone.
Mary Kay Letourneau, 42, the elementary school teacher who served 7 and a half years in prison for raping her former pupil, Vili Fualaau when he was just 12 years old, was released on August 4. Slipping past the throng of reporters and the curious before dawn, Mary Kay has always maintained that she would like to continue her relationship with Vili, with whom she has two daughters, now 5 and 7 currently being raised by Vili’s mother.
