Much has already been said about the scandalous affair between a mother-of-four schoolteacher and her sixth-grade pupil.
"This case shocked people," we're told in this summary of a saga that ended in 2020, when Mary Kay Letourneau died of colon cancer at age 58, after reconciling with the family she had left for young Vili Fualaau.
At a vulnerable time in her life, after marital problems and her father's death from cancer, Mary -- who once called herself "the Joan of Arc of forbidden love" -- embarked on her liaison with mature-beyond-his-years Vili.
"Was this the rape of a 12-year-old child, or was it the beginning of a beautiful love story?" we're asked to consider.
Mary reportedly believed that predator laws were "just for men," and her involvement with Vili eventually led to a seven-year prison term as well as her marriage and two children with her young beau.
"Was this true love, or a young boy's fantasy come true?" we're asked, while the episode notes that Vili "was a willing participant, but the law says he's not in a position to make that decision."
Mary's supporters and critics are quoted at length here, with some of the more poignant comments coming from Ann Bremner, a Seattle attorney who befriended Mary.
"If she was a pedophile, wouldn't she be on to the next 12-year-old?" Ms. Bremner asks.
Vili later spoke of how the affair took away his childhood and he never got to be young, according to this segment. "I don't support younger kids getting married, or having a relationship with someone older," he eventually told Barbara Walters.
Aspects of Mary's past raise questions about possible psychological influences. Her college-professor father had an extramarital affair with an ex-student with whom he fathered two children. In addition, according to Wikipedia, "(i)n 1973, Letourneau's three-year-old brother drowned in the family pool at their home in the Spyglass Hill section of Corona del Mar, California, while she played with another brother in the shallow end."
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