*Mary Kay Letourneau, the former Washington middle school teacher who made headlines for raping her 12-year-old student, has died of stage 4 cancer. She was 58.
Letourneau was a 34-year-old married mother of four in 1996 when she initiated a sexual relationship with sixth-grader Vili Fualaau.
Despite a court ordering her to stay far away from the boy, she had two children with him before he was 15.
She was ultimately sentenced to more than seven years in prison for child rape.
Their daughter Audrey was born in May 1997, while Mary Kay was awaiting sentencing. Their second child, Georgia, was born behind bars, per PEOPLE.
The kids were reportedly raised by Fualaau’s mother until Letourneau’s release.
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A high-profile teacher in the US, convicted of raping a 13-year-old student, has died. The then 34-year-old Mary Kay Letourneau made international headlines when she claimed their relationship was consensual. https://t.co/M65eKueQxb #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/9TP4FyK1MX
— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) July 8, 2020
After her divorce from the first husband, Letourneau and Fualaau married in 2005, but the union didn’t last. They divorced last year.
Letourneau died Monday after battling metastatic cancer for several months.
“It was expected but sad anyway,” attorney David Gehrke told KOMO-TV. “She was a good person.”
Mary kay’s family and the family of Fualaau released a statement Tuesday, noting that “Mary fought tirelessly against this terrible disease.”
The statement continued, “Mary, and all of us, found great strength in having our immediate and extended family members together to join her in this arduous struggle. We did our very best to care for Mary and one another as we kept her close and stayed close together.
During their marriage, Fualaau made clear that he is not the victim of a sexual predator.
“I’m not a victim. I’m not ashamed of being a father. I’m not ashamed of being in love with Mary Kay,” he said in 2013.
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