She was born Mary Katherine Schmitz, in January 1962, in Orange County, California. She was the fourth child and first daughter of college professor John Schmitz, and his wife, Mary.
John would go on to be a State Representative and Senator. It's important to know that her father had an affair with one of his college students, Carla. She ended up having two of his children. A boy and a girl. John took no responsibility for the kids and said they "were their mother's problem." Mary left him for a while, only to go back. The three children at home (one of the sons drowned in the family pool) all knew about their other siblings. Carla died of diabetes when the kids were 11 and 13. They became wards of the state and were placed in an orphanage. (Terrible) Mary Kay had plans to pursue her own career in politics. She intended to move to Washington, D.C. following her graduation from Arizona State. However, while still a student, she became pregnant with the child of fellow classmate Steve Letourneau. In 1985, the couple got married and dropped out of college before moving to his hometown of Anchorage. A year later, he took a job with Alaska Airlines and the family moved to Washington. They bought a house at 21824 4th Place South in Normandy Park, a suburb of Seattle.
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| Letourneau Home |
They had three more children over the next few years. In 1989, Mary Kay got her teaching degree from Seattle University. That fall, she took a job at Shorewood Elementary in Burien. (Just north of Normandy Park)
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| 2725 S. 116th in Burien |
She soon became a respected member of the faculty. (Not for long....) A few years into her career, Mrs. Letourneau became infatuated with student Vili Fualaau. He was 12. She encouraged his artistic talents and he spent time at her house. He formed a friendship with her oldest child, Steve, Jr. who was only a year younger than him. (a perfect cover) In June 1996, she began a sexual relationship with the 13 year-old, (The 13 year-old) a relationship that Vili would later say he welcomed. (I'm sure he did) The relationship came crashing to a halt in February 1997, when Steve Letourneau found love letters that his wife had written to Vili. (Oh, shit!) Later that month, a relative of Steve's reported the affair to officials at Shorewood Elementary. The police were notified, and Letourneau (Who at the time was pregnant with Vili's child) was arrested at school during a faculty meeting. She was charged with statutory rape. Mrs. Letourneau's plan had been to pass the child off as Steve's. Problem was, they hadn't had sex in months. Oh yeah, and the child would be half Samoan. She gave birth to a baby girl named Audrey, in May 1997. Three months later, she pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree rape. Although a defense psychiatrist testified that she suffered from bipolar disorder, she was sentenced to seven years in prison. After serving 80 days, she was granted a release on the condition that she enter a treatment program for sex offenders and promise not to have any contact with Vili. She moved in with a friend in the Seward Park neighborhood of Seattle. In February 1998, her appetite for teen was just too much. She paged Vili, picked him up, and brought him to the neighborhood she was living in. She parked her car around the corner from her house, and the two proceeded to steam up the windows. A Seattle cop on patrol, noticed the windows and went knockin'. They were in the 4900 block of S. Angeline Street.
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| 4900 Block of S. Angeline St. |
Besides the child in the front seat, cops found $6,200 in cash, passports, and receipts for $850 in clothing purchases, leading authorities to speculate that the two were planning to flee the country. As a result of the violation of her parole, Mrs. Letourneau was sentenced to serve her full prison term at the Washington Correction Center for Women. In October 1998, she gave birth to a second daughter by Vili. (Alexis was conceived in the car) Both girls were in the custody of Vili's mother while Mrs. Letourneau served her time. Steve of course divorced her and took their four children to Alaska. Mrs. Letourneau was released from prison in August 2004. Shortly after her release, a judge lifted an order that barred contact between her and Vili after the 21-year-old petitioned the court. They were soon engaged. (Can I call you Mary now, Mrs. Letourneau?) In May 2005, they were married at a winery in Woodinville.
It was paid for by Entertainment Tonight and they sold their wedding video to the press. Vili's mom wrote a book that was only published in France. She got a nice chunk of change but squandered it. Vili got DUI's and police were called to their house after neighbors heard gunshots. They now host "Hot For Teacher" parties at local nightclubs. Vili DJ's while Mary Kay dances or something. She's now 50. And a grandmother. She looks nothing like she used to. Her hair is bleached blonde, she works out, and her Polly Pocket dresses are long gone.
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| The lovely couple |
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| 231 South 219th Street |
I had to hike a long way down the beach to get there. It's accessible by a flight of at least 75 stairs (Which had a locked gate) or by boat.
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| This is the view Mary and Vili were divorced in August of 2019. Vili is quoted as saying the relationship was never healthy from the start. Mary died of colorectal cancer on July 6, 2020. Vili was by her side. She was 58. |
