Vili Fualaau and Mary Kay Letourneau during their ‘20/20’ interview.Photo: Heidi Gutman/ABC/Getty
Ex-teacherMary Kay Letourneau’s illegal relationship with her sixth-grade studentVili Fualaauand her subsequent rape trial captivated the nation in the late 1990s.
In 1996, the former middle school teacher began sexually abusing a then-12-year-old Fualaau, whom she had known since he was in second grade. Later that year, Letourneau became pregnant with Fualaau’s child, and on March 4, 1997, she was arrested for child rape.
While they initially separated in 2017 and officially divorced in 2019, “they were totally in love,” Letourneau’s attorney David Gehrke once told PEOPLE. “But sometimes, people who are totally in love have trouble staying in love,” he added.
Letourneau later died of cancer in 2020, and Fualaau went on to welcome a third daughter named Sophia two years later. In January 2024, hebecame a grandfatherfor the first time.
Over two decades after Letourneau’s infamous trial, her relationship with Fualaau inspired the 2023 filmMay December, which starsJulianne Moore,Natalie PortmanandCharles Melton, and follows the story of a 36-year-old woman who began an intimate affair with a teenage boy.
During an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Fualaau said that no one associated with the movie had reached out to him and called it “a ripoff of my original story.”
Here’s everything to know about Vili Fualaau’s life today.
Where is Vili Fualaau now?
Vili Fualaau in 2006.Ron Wurzer/Getty
Prior to the trial that became a worldwide sensation, Fualaau was a boy involved with a teacher he had known since he was in second grade. When he started seeing Letourneau outside of school, the sexual abuse began. However, Letourneau claimed thatshe did not know having sex with a minor was a crime. She was 34 years old when she began her relationship with then-12-year-old Fualaau.
What happened to Mary Kay Letourneau?
Mary Kay Letourneau during her trial.Alan Berner/AP
Alan Berner/AP
Letourneau entered a guilty plea in 1997 and was charged with two counts of second-degree rape of a child. She was sentenced to seven years in prison but was paroled after six months under the condition she would stay away from Fualaau. That rule was broken after they were seen in a car together two weeks after her initial release, which led to a judge ordering her to serve the rest of her prison sentence.
Though a no-contact order was in place when Letourneau was released from prison in 2004, Fualaau successfully petitioned the court to revoke it. Then 21, he was free to continue the relationship.
Letourneau and Fualaau wed in 2005 and remained together for over a decade until Fualaau filed forlegal separationin 2017. Their younger daughter was 18, and the empty nesters seemed to drift apart.
“Vili was the one whofiled a petition for separation, which is usually a precursor for filing for divorce," Leturneau’s attorney David Gehrke exclusively told PEOPLE. He added that though they faced struggles, he believed that they were truly in love with one another.
In July 2020,Letourneau died of stage 4 cancer. She was 58. Though the former teacher and Fualaau were divorced at the time, her death had a profound impact on him.
“He lost a piece of himself,” a friend close to Fualaau told PEOPLE following Latourneau’s death. “He understands how f—– up everything was in how they got together. He’s not stupid. But he can’t turn off his feelings completely, and it’s a big loss for him. He talked to her right before she passed, and they said everything they needed to say.”
Where are Vili Fualaau and Mary Kay Letourneau’s children?
Vili Fualaau and Mary Kay Letourneau with their two daughters.Heidi Gutman/ABC/Getty
By the time Fualaau was 15, he was a father of two. He and Letourneau welcomed their first child together, daughter Audrey, in May 1997 — three months before Letourneau would plead guilty to two counts of child rape. Their second daughter, Georgia, was born during Letourneau’s prison sentence in October 1998.
Audrey and Georgia were teenagers when their parents initially split in 2017.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
