Mary kay letourneau

How Forensic Psychology impacted the Mary Kay Letourneau case - VHS Psychology of Crime

1. A Final Project
Presentation by Mandoline
Bhuiyan

2. Thesis Statement
In the case of
Mary Kay
Letourneau,
forensic
psychology was a
key component in
analyzing the
crimes of the
school teacher
turned child
rapist.

3. Born Mary Katherine Schmitz on January
30, 1962, Mary had a prominent
upbringing as her father was an elite
politician and her mother was a public
figure. Mary grew up in a strict Roman
Catholic household and later went to
study at Arizona State University where
she would meet her husband, Steve
Letourneau. Although her family didn’t
approve of the “frat boy”, the two got
married when Mary was four months
pregnant. After moving to Anchorage,
Alaska, Mary became a school teacher
and thus became acquainted with Vili
Fualaau.
Who is
Mary Kay
Letourneau?

4. Vili Fualaau is a Samoan -American born
to parents Soona and Luaiva Fualaau on
June 26, 1983. Ever since 2
nd
grade, a
teacher at his school known as Mrs.
Letourneau had often praised Vili’s
artwork. One day she asked him to draw
a picture of her and then she published
it in the school yearbook. Fast -forward
to sixth grade and now Mrs. Letourneau
has become his teacher. Vili always
knew that he had a crush on her but no
one could predict what this harmless
schoolboy attraction would lead to.
Who is
Vili
Fualaau?

5. The Crime
In June 1996, Mary takes Vili out to
dinner to reward the 12 year old for
almost graduating the 6
th
grade. During
this event, the two start to play footsie
and share a kiss. From then, the
relationship escalated and Vili has
reported that they had sex around 5 times
before a relative had sent the police a
tip on the relationship. As the age of
consent is 16 years, Mary was charged with
second-degree child rape and became a
registered sex offender.

6. During her trial, Mary was
pregnant with Vili’s child. On
August 7, 1997, Letourneau pleads
guilty to child rape in exchange
for a three-month jail sentence
and probation. King County
Superior Court judge Linda Lau
approves the plea bargain on
condition that Letourneau has no
further contact with Fualaau.
After ignoring the court’s orders
to stay away from Vili, Mary is
sentenced to 7 and a half years
in prison. She gave birth to
their second daughter while
serving out her sentence.


6
The Trial

7. 7
Role of Forensic
Psychologists
Dr. Julia Moore was assigned Mary’s case
and presented her diagnosis to the court.
After evaluations, it was apparent to her
that Mary had suffered severe bipolar
disorder which accounted for both mania
and depression and thus resulted in her
reckless behavior. “It’s like she has a
happy button and a love button and a
hypersexual button in her brain and it’s
being pressed,” Dr. Julie Moore said.
“When it’s pressed, there is little room
for self-reflection. That’s why Mary is
such an inept criminal .” The role of the
forensic psychologist was very impactful
in the case as it was the basis behind
the reasoning of giving Mary a lesser
sentence. Mary was offered a lenient
sentence and treatments as a result.

8. As is apparent from lesson 12.3, Mary
Kay Letourneau was a power reassurance
rapist. From a young age, Mary had felt
insecure as she could never live up to
her parent’s high expectations. Mary
was later in a loveless marriage in
which her husband constantly cheated on
her and was emotionally abusive. The
little boy known as Vili was one of the
few figures in her life that she felt
cared for her and that she could
control. The reality of it is, Mary
Craved attention and that was something
that she felt that no one else in her
life could give her besides her
student.

Motivation

9. Motivation
Traits

Verbal behavior-wise, it was said from
her interviews that Mary would often
ask Vili “Do you love me” and “Is this
Ok” during intercourse. Physically, she
had never harmed her victim nor did she
use force to intimidate him. The sexual
behavior is clear as she had made
sexual advances with her victim. In
terms of MO, Mary had already
“targeted” her victim in advance as she
had known him for four years initially.
All of these instances support the
assertion that Mary Kay Letourneau was
a power reassurance rapist.

10. 10
Psychopathy

Based on her actions in committing
the crime and the aftermath, it can
be denounced that Mary Kay Letourneau
had psychopathic tendencies. Mary had
no regard for her children or the law
when she chose to engage in an affair
with a 12 years old. Furthermore, she
put on an act in court as she
apologized for a lesser sentence
whilst in reality, she had no remorse
for what she had done. Even after she
was told not to, Mary continued her
relations with the boy and carried
his child once more.

11. Against all odds, Mary Kay Letourneau
and Vili Fualaau’s marriage had
lasted over a decade after Mary was
released from prison. Mary switched
occupations and became a paralegal
while Vili became a DJ. Eventually,
their streak ended as the couple
split in March 2019. Allegedly, the
pressures regarding their past was
too big of a burden and both had
decided that a fresh start was
best. Even so, they still maintain
good relations as they remain under
the same roof for the sake of their
family. Mary is still a registered
sex offender.

11
Where Are They Now?

12. Works Cited
Cohn, Paulette. “Mary Kay Letourneau & Vili Fualaau: A Timeline of Their
Forbidden Relationship.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 25 June
2019, www.biography.com/news/mary -kay-letourneau-vili-fualaau-wedding-
anniversary-scandal.

Grounds, Linda. “Forensic Psychology.” Dr. Linda Grounds, Ph.D., P.C. ,
Lgrounds https://drlindagrounds.com/blog -2/

Helling, Steve. “Inside Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau's Split:
'Their Past Has Caught Up With Them'.” PEOPLE.com, 1 Apr. 2019,
https://people.com/crime/inside -mary-kay-letourneau-and-vili-fualaaus-
split/

Seattle Times. “Disorder Tied To Former Teacher's Affair With Boy
Letourneau's Lawyer, Doctors Say Mental Condition Caused Behavior.”
Spokesman.com, The Spokesman-Review, 8 Oct. 2011,
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1998/feb/18/disorder -tied-to-former-
teachers-affair-with-boy/