The Overall View Of Mary Kay LeTourneau's Case

Radhika ShivgobinShawnora Gulley

Gurjit Saini

Numuah Joseph Mensah

Mary Kay LeTourneau, a married 36 year old teacher, with four children fell in love with her sixth grade student. Along with falling in love with him she became pregnant by the thirteen year old boy. Nine months later she gave birth to a baby girl, who is now in the custody of the boy's family in Burien.

LeTourneau was fired from her teaching position when her relationship was discovered in early 1997. Her husband Steve found love letters written by his wife to the boy. LeTourneau gave birth in May and in November was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison.

However, the judge Linda Lau, suspended her sentence on the condition that she have no contact with the boy. Also, to go through 3 years of treatment for sex offenders and serve 6 months in jail. Being that she served a few months already, she was released on January 2,1998. From there she moved to Seaward Park in Seattle.

Another twist enters the story when less than a month after her release, she and the boy was caught together in a parked car. LeTourneau had with her, her passport, $6,000 in cash, clothing for both a man and a baby, and also food, a beer bottle, and recent photographs of the boy and the baby.

Detective Dane Bean, of the Seattle Police Department interviewed the boy who said "there had not been sexual contact...". On the other hand, the boy reported to his therapist that he and LeTourneau had sex between January 2,1998 and February 3, 1998. This has been the new focus of the investigation.

On February 6, King County Superior Judge Linda Lau reinstated the prison term. The judge Linda mentioned that it wasn't a case of a flawed system, but a foolish missed opportunity. LeTourneau is now serving a 7 1/2 year term at Washington Corrections Center for women in Gig Harbor. This came after she pleaded guilty in August to the two accounts of second degree rape of a child and violating the terms of her suspended sentence, by having contact with the boy.

The third twist to the story came when a prison employee, who is unidentified, leaked confidential information that LeTourneau was pregnant. Gehrke, LeTourneau's attorney, finally confirmed the information after a call from LeTourneau. She felt that the information of her pregnancy should be