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Statutory Rape Turns Into 10 Year Marriage?


tinytherese

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tinytherese

My dad had 20/20 on earlier tonight where Barbara Walters interviewed Mary Kay Letourneau and Villi Fualaau. Mary Kay was Villi's teacher when he was 12 years old when the two engaged in a sexual relationship. She was married with 4 children prior to meeting him. Mary Kay and Villi had two daughters. Mary Kay served time in prison for statutory rape. She is now divorced from her first husband and married Villi 10 years ago. 

Mary Kay says that at the time, she knew that their relationship was wrong, but didn't know that it was a crime. (Seriously? How did she not know?) Their daughters are in high school and found out about how their parents met through people gossiping about them and Google. The girls commented on how in many other countries, what they did wouldn't be a crime. What was really sickening was when their daughters sung, "People Fall in Love in Mysterious Ways," like their parents had a beautiful love story.

Villi stated though that he didn't want his daughters dating. He knows that it's hypocritical, but he doesn't want them to go through what he did. 

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Yeah I read that too tiny, I was really shocked to see that they actually stayed together....  I don't think what he states for his daughters as being hypocritical, he seems to realize that what happened is not normal, and was a mistake and he doesn't want that to happen to his daughters, I would say hypocritical if he was bragging about it an then like my daughters better not do this.....

 

but yeah this entire odd ball story really blows my mind; ya can't even really say there is a happy ending, I mean I guess good for them for staying together I guess that shows some level of actual feelings for each other,,, but they destroyed the ex husbands life, we know that much from this story, he ended up in Alaska, and the children from that previous marriage ,, who knows how they really are doing....  But like how many levels of wrong are they going to have to account for when the time comes.

 

I have enough trouble trying to figure out legit couples that look totally mismatched, I am sorry I even commented this much on this particular story.

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My grandmother was 16 when she married, and my great-grandmother was 14.  Both couples made it to 60+ anniversaries.  The difference was that was common during their eras.  This story has includes adultery and abuse.  Not a great foundation.  I wonder if they stayed together because both of their lives were so ruined by what happened that they didn't have anyone else to turn to. 

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veritasluxmea

Based off teaching programs, she likely would have been *at least* 24. That's over ten years difference between them. Married with four kids? more like late twenties, very likely early/mid thirties. We're looking at a possible fifteen, maybe even twenty year difference between them. As he was barely more than a child.

Ew. Just ew. 

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My grandmother was 16 when she married, and my great-grandmother was 14.  Both couples made it to 60+ anniversaries.  The difference was that was common during their eras.  This story has includes adultery and abuse.  Not a great foundation.  I wonder if they stayed together because both of their lives were so ruined by what happened that they didn't have anyone else to turn to.

Based off teaching programs, she likely would have been *at least* 24. That's over ten years difference between them. Married with four kids? more like late twenties, very likely early/mid thirties. We're looking at a possible fifteen, maybe even twenty year difference between them. As he was barely more than a child.

Ew. Just ew.

​She was actually in her 30s when this happened:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Kay_Letourneau

Intersting note:  she could have been a "first daughter" if her father had won in 1972.

And according to the Wikipedia article, it was the boy who wanted to continue the relationship and when he turned 18 asked that the "no-contact" order be rescinded.

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truthfinder

The reality is that cases like this are exceptions to the usual turn out.  She did her time, have been publicly shamed, and by all regards are carrying-on with their lives.  It was illegal what was done, it's been rectified, and now you may carry on being grossed out or not.  

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The reality is that cases like this are exceptions to the usual turn out.  She did her time, have been publicly shamed, and by all regards are carrying-on with their lives.  It was illegal what was done, it's been rectified, and now you may carry on being grossed out or not.  

​even though justice has been served, how the marriage came to be is the issue and problem, what happens when the situation is changed years from now and it is a male teacher and a female student, and after justice is served, they get married.

Or does this story come off as a happily ever after to some? or to some adult who is already in this situation does this give that person the thought that he or she is actually in love? and isn't really breaking the law.

I don't look at this as a happily ever after situation and I don't look at it as if they got married out of necessity , if anything I think the two of them for their own benefit need to take a real psychological examination and go over the results and learn what they can from it.

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truthfinder

I can't bring any particular situations to mind, but I'm sure there have been male teachers and female students get married.  

The story doesn't come off as happily ever after; I know some will push their story because they want to rescind certain elements of statutory rape laws.  It seems though in this case, he was the one who wanted to contact her and did so once he was an adult.  Superblue, I don't think we disagree in regards to this story.

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Nihil Obstat

I can't bring any particular situations to mind, but I'm sure there have been male teachers and female students get married.  

The story doesn't come off as happily ever after; I know some will push their story because they want to rescind certain elements of statutory rape laws.  It seems though in this case, he was the one who wanted to contact her and did so once he was an adult.  Superblue, I don't think we disagree in regards to this story.

​Well, Alice von Hildebrand was Dietrich's student at Fordham. They married in 59 and he retired from teaching at 60, so I am guessing they did not have a student-teacher relationship when they were romantically involved.

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tinytherese

I agree with superblue that there are people who may look at this couple and think, "Hey, they made it out alright. Maybe these situations are not as big of a deal as we think they are."

It's also reasonable to assume that their daughters could have a messed up view of relationships and safety. 

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truthfinder

​Well, Alice von Hildebrand was Dietrich's student at Fordham. They married in 59 and he retired from teaching at 60, so I am guessing they did not have a student-teacher relationship when they were romantically involved.

​I think she was his secretary by that time (oh scandalous).  They were thirty-four years apart; at the same time, she was also 36 when they married, so not a child.  I think what superblue was alluding to was cases where male teachers had statutorily raped a female student and then had gone on to marry.  

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Nihil Obstat

​I think she was his secretary by that time (oh scandalous).  They were thirty-four years apart; at the same time, she was also 36 when they married, so not a child.  I think what superblue was alluding to was cases where male teachers had statutorily raped a female student and then had gone on to marry.  

I have definitely heard of it happening. It does kind of have that ick factor, but besides that..... I think it really depends on circumstances.

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truthfinder

I have definitely heard of it happening. It does kind of have that ick factor, but besides that..... I think it really depends on circumstances.

​Well, we've come a long way (and some places still have that way to go) that the best way to deal with a rapist is to make him marry the girl if possible.  

Because there are also a lot of cases where someone ends up in jail for having sex in the 'close in age' category.  This is really dependent on where the people are, and in some of those cases, it is absolutely ridiculous.  

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