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{{Top 25 Report|Jul 5 2020 (8th)}}
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== First paragraph is all in bold ==
== Intro name ==


I think that's a format mistake but I'm not sure, so, I'm just mention it.
[https://www.tmz.com/2020/07/26/mary-kay-letourneau-cremated-colon-cancer-death-certificate/ Subject's legal name Mary Katherine Fualaau appears on her death certificate], and should appear as this article's first words, according to [[Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Biography#Names|MOS:NAME]]. [[User:Mcfnord|Mcfnord]] ([[User talk:Mcfnord|talk]]) 19:36, 31 July 2020 (UTC)
:It is your opinion that it should. [[User:Flyer22 Frozen|Flyer22 Frozen]] ([[User talk:Flyer22 Frozen|talk]]) 00:28, 1 August 2020 (UTC)


Kind regards! [[User:Riveravaldez|riveravaldez]] ([[User talk:Riveravaldez|talk]]) 08:35, 27 January 2024 (UTC)
:As made clear by [[MOS:MULTIPLENAMES]] in the same section, "It is not necessary to list all previous names of subjects when they are not notably known by them." [[User:Flyer22 Frozen|Flyer22 Frozen]] ([[User talk:Flyer22 Frozen|talk]]) 00:32, 1 August 2020 (UTC)
::[[MOS:NAME]] is a guideline, not a policy. She is widely known as Mary Kay Letourneau, and that's quite sufficient as a reason for referring to her as such. That's why virtually every word written about [[Elizabeth Taylor]] would refer to her as Elizabeth Taylor regardless of whether she ever took the last name of one of her husbands. [[User:Sundayclose|Sundayclose]] ([[User talk:Sundayclose|talk]]) 00:35, 1 August 2020 (UTC)


:It's fixed. Thanks. <b>[[User:Jauerback|Jauerback]]</b><sup>[[User talk:Jauerback|dude?]]</sup>/<sub>[[Special:Contributions/Jauerback|dude.]]</sub> 13:14, 27 January 2024 (UTC)
== relevance of media role and unusually strong interest ==


== Last-ish Line—People Mag 2020 ==
[[User:Pincrete|Pincrete]], I'd like to revert [https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Mary_Kay_Letourneau&type=revision&diff=964903716&oldid=964903464 a change you made]. You ask in the comment about relevance, which is a reasonable question. It's important that we understand how much media scrutiny was placed on this particular subject and situation. I've recently become aware of a different person who committed a very similar crime. Her name is Brittany Zamora, but the only thing Wikipedia says about her is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_State_Prison_Complex_%E2%80%93_Perryville where she currently resides].


I realize this might be a controversial suggestion, so I figured I'd just flag it here. People Magazine is obviously ... not a great source, and while I'm ambivalent on whether that last comment is removed, I do think the current end of this article is a bit misleading. The People Mag source is from 2020. But, in a September 2020 interview with Dr. Oz [https://www.today.com/popculture/news/vili-fualaau-now-rcna132301], Fualaau seemed to defend his ex wife, saying, "That is my wife and she is my best friend and we had our kids together and we did get married and we had a whole life together." At the same time, Fualaau also said that, were he attracted to minors, he would "seek help." It seems like that commentary, which is directly attributable to Fualaau (rather than unnamed sources) and also more recent than the People Mag report should probably be featured in the article instead of or at least after the People Mag report.--[[Special:Contributions/96.94.213.161|96.94.213.161]] ([[User talk:96.94.213.161|talk]]) 15:23, 8 February 2024 (UTC)
What we say today:


== TMZ as a source? ==
* '''The case received national attention.''' (Actually, it was international)
* '''She became the subject of an international tabloid scandal,''' and experienced symptoms of degraded mental health according to acquaintances.
* '''Passing unnoticed past hordes of reporters and gawkers...'''


TMZ even has her death certificate that says that she was cremated.<ref>[https://amp.tmz.com/2020/07/26/mary-kay-letourneau-cremated-colon-cancer-death-certificate/]</ref> [[WP:TMZ]] says that there is no consensus if it is unreliable or reliable, but articles also use it. [[User:TheGreatestLuvofAll|TheGreatestLuvofAll]] ([[User talk:TheGreatestLuvofAll|talk]]) 23:13, 26 February 2024 (UTC)
What we don't say, but possibly should:


{{reflist-talk}}
* subject gained [https://www.historylink.org/File/5727 "notoriety"].
* Considered the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAELIuje7Vo&feature=youtu.be "most famous"] example of this crime with similar details.
* Subject received harassment from other prisoners '''[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-29-ls-45407-story.html due to subject's 'celebrity' status]'''.
* Subject's marriage ceremony occurred '''[https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Letourneau-marries-Fualaau-amid-media-circus-1174066.php Amid "Media Circus"]''' with '''"camera crews and a news hellicopter"''' and '''"metal detectors"'''
* News about subject was often filed under "entertainment" [https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/mary-kay-letourneaus-separation-vili-175117476.html as with this URL].
* Subject "registered [as a sex offender] '''in a locked office''' of the King County courthouse '''while media swarmed''' outside."
* A book (Olsen, G.) about the subject says on its cover, '''"story that stunned the world."'''
* "The case blended the universal intoxicants of sex and crime [https://www.historylink.org/File/5727 with the novelty of gender]." - speculation about appeal
* "Her four older children, ages 3 to 12, were sent to live temporarily with relatives in Washington D.C., '''[https://www.historylink.org/File/5727 to protect them from the media glare]'''."
* '''[https://www.historylink.org/File/5727 continuing fascination]''': "People '''can't take their eyes off''' a train wreck like that"
* "By the end of February 1998, only President Clinton's relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky was prompting more letters to the editors of Seattle newspapers. ''The Seattle Times'' put the tally for the month at 197 letters on Clinton and '''[https://www.historylink.org/File/5727 93 on Letourneau]'''."
* Note the [https://www.historylink.org/File/5727 publication of four books], including Gregg Olsen's ''If Loving You Is Wrong: The Shocking True Story of Mary Kay Letourneau'' (published in 1999, reissued in 2004, and so far translated into '''11 languages''')"
* Letourneau left prison '''under the same spotlight''' that shone on her when she arrived. Representatives of the ''Today'' show, ''Oprah'', ''Primetime'', ''Inside Edition'', and news organizations in Great Britain, France, and Germany were among those on stakeout [https://www.historylink.org/File/5727 when she was released from the Washington Corrections Center for Women] near Gig Harbor on August 4, 2004.
* Fualaau '''[https://www.historylink.org/File/5727 sold some of the letters]''' to tabloids.
* '''[https://patch.com/washington/seattle/mary-kay-letourneau-teacher-jailed-raping-student-dies "international headlines"]'''
* [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8508523/amp/Vili-Fualaau-moved-Washington-California-cared-Mary-Kay-Letourneau-24-7.html around the world]
* [https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/mary-kay-letourneau-vili-fualauu-relationship-media-child-rape-tryst-1025466/ public's decades-long fascination], "tabloid fixtures"


== lead writing ==
Many commit similar crimes. Few receive this degree of intense, sustained, global attention. Nor can the story even be understood without these details. There are multiple instances where the unusual level of attention caused unusual results. [https://www.salon.com/2000/01/27/letourneau/ Said Salon], "The scandals on the scale of Letourneau... expertly catalogs the corrosive role the media played in the affair."


These sentences on the lead are exceptionally badly written. The whole point of this writing seems to underline again and again the crime committed, at cost of readability. It sounds like tabloid scandal headlines more than an encyclopedia.
We need to acknowledge the unusually high visibility of this criminal. I've tried to describe this appeal as notoriety, though I'm not 100% sold on the term. The article says in 3 places what that level of attention meant in concrete terms. We used to say it in 4 places, but you had concern about relevance. It's relevant! [[User:Mcfnord|Mcfnord]] ([[User talk:Mcfnord|talk]]) 03:21, 1 August 2020 (UTC)
:I don't have a strong opinion on media coverage - my removal was itself 'tabloidy' detail, as I would say is the 'gawkers' above. If the level of attention was in any way unfair, that is for others to remedy, we simply reflect the big bad world, not fix it nor comment on it. I would object to you restoring 'painting a scene' details. [[User:Pincrete|Pincrete]] ([[User talk:Pincrete|talk]]) 08:12, 1 August 2020 (UTC)
::I also wish to revert [https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Mary_Kay_Letourneau&type=revision&diff=970598305&oldid=970575547 this eliding]. She was indeed a staple of tabloids. And media coverage is one thing, but when media coverage changes what's going on, that's a different thing. Could you tell me which of these citations do seem noteworthy in your view? You say you have no strong opinion about covering the coverage, which we did 4 times, but now do 2 times, after your changes. Can you articulate how "painting a scene" is problematic, in your view? As a technical writer, I "paint scenes" with facts all the time. There are facts, and there are noteworthy facts. Which of the citations/facts listed above seem possibly inclusion-worthy to you? Does Wikipedia cover stuff like "story that stunned the world" but not stuff like "amid a 'media circus'"? Are you saying that reporting and level of interest is never part of the story? You reflect the big bad world except that part of it? I don't know if I think any of the coverage was fair or unfair, but it was massive, and that had consequences far beyond the printed pages. Why wouldn't we include those kinds of details? Locked in a police office while media swarmed outside? That's unusual. Her children relocated across the country due to media attention. Is that a detail you omit? Things like some book some guy wrote seem weaker to me than specifics about 100+ reporters at a court hearing, because it gets at what a lot of people were involved in (maybe a best-seller is comparable). We should reflect those unusual details, as they help explain the unusual international response to this criminal vs. very many others. Let our collaboration start! [[User:Mcfnord|Mcfnord]] ([[User talk:Mcfnord|talk]]) 14:38, 1 August 2020 (UTC)
{{od|2}} Slightly off topic, but I just removed the information about Brittany Z. It's unsourced and libelous. For all we know that may have been added by a high school kid as a prank. I would also request that her last name be removed in the original post above, per [[WP:BLP]]. [[User:Sundayclose|Sundayclose]] ([[User talk:Sundayclose|talk]]) 16:06, 1 August 2020 (UTC)


''Letourneau was 34, and the child, Vili Fualaau, was 12 years old when she initiated the sexual abuse. He was her sixth-grade student at an elementary school in Burien, Washington. While awaiting sentencing, she gave birth to Fualaau's daughter.''
:I don't know, after reading through all of that, what the point is that we are trying to convey. What are the changes that are being suggested? What I infer from this is that we should portray her as somehow a victim of the media? Is that correct? I have no doubt that this was a high-profile case. That's extremely evident, so I don't know if there's much of a point in stating that, because pointing out the obvious can become condescending to the reader.


After the first sentence that correctly introduces the crime, the followings should come back to the fact in a cronological order. Starting from where she teached, her family status at the time, how she encountered Fualaau, how they met, how she approached him sexually, the police being tipped off, etc. [[User:Cinemaandpolitics|Cinemaandpolitics]] ([[User talk:Cinemaandpolitics|talk]]) 15:39, 18 October 2024 (UTC)
:While true, every case does not come close to achieving this kind of publicity, you cannot blame that solely on the media. (And believe me, I am no fan of the MSM these days.) There is also public interest that plays a major role, because if the public is not interested the media will quickly move on. It's the same reason a handful of rock bands make it big and most don't. Her reactions and inane responses didn't really help her either, as that only fueled the interest.


:For comparison, looking at a page that editors could find equally despicable, the [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] page would be useful. Even though the Holocaust has its central spot in the lead it doesn't immediatelly erase the need for more general writing in following paragraphs. [[User:Cinemaandpolitics|Cinemaandpolitics]] ([[User talk:Cinemaandpolitics|talk]]) 09:15, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:That's the risk you take when you commit any crime. As an analogy, people commit murders everyday, yet very few of those reach the level of infamy as the Charles Manson murders. In retrospect, there have been many murders committed that were much more gruesome and deranged than the Manson case, and if it happened in, say ... Somewhere Nebraska, it would likely never had seen the type of coverage that it got. But, as it turned out, it happened in Beverly Hills, and all the ingredients came together to make it an extremely high-profile case. You can blame that on the media or public interest, the timing and the place, or any combination of the those, but the people ultimately responsible are the people who committed the crimes. That may be unfortunate for people like [[Bobby Beausoleil]], who have served their sentences and would like to forget it and get on with their lives (and make it a footnote in their Wikipedia article), but that is never going to happen. These are names that achieved infamy, and Letourneau has achieved a level of fame that parallels theirs. (And for anyone that feels like jumping in and saying that child sexual abuse is not on the same level as murder, number one, that's not what I'm comparing, but rather the level of coverage they got, and number two, I would argue that it most certainly is.)
::I've expanded the chronology of their encounters on body and then moved on in expanding the lead. Notably I've reworded "sexual abuse" in "statutory rape". MOS:CRIMINAL is pretty clear that general definitions should be avoided in favor of precise crimes, which the opening paragraph correctly did already. [[User:Cinemaandpolitics|Cinemaandpolitics]] ([[User talk:Cinemaandpolitics|talk]]) 18:20, 22 October 2024 (UTC)

:Now it definitely caused a controversy, and if we have sources specifically covering that controversy, then this may be one of those few articles that should actually have a controversy section (since "controversy" refers to a widespread public interest and debate, not just any old dispute or criticism or dirty laundry). But, from what I've read above, I have no clue what the actual proposal is beyond presenting a bunch of sources that together provide in inference not directly implied by them individually, so I'd be very careful of straying into the realm of synthesis. [[User:Zaereth|Zaereth]] ([[User talk:Zaereth|talk]]) 21:22, 3 August 2020 (UTC)
::A "Controversy" section wouldn't be needed in this case ([[WP:Criticism|and often is not ideal]] in general). The whole reason she is famous is because of the Fualaau matter, which we cover in the respective sections. [[User:Flyer22 Frozen|Flyer22 Frozen]] ([[User talk:Flyer22 Frozen|talk]]) 21:46, 3 August 2020 (UTC)

== BLP:PRIVACY and child names ==

Hi QuestFour. You should not be re-inserting the names of non-subjects, as per BLP:PRIVACY. Your revert comment says:

''"restore as BLP generally applies to the article's subject, should at least be discussed before omitting"''

Not correct. BLP policy applies to all mentions of all people on this website, in articles, in talk, everywhere, everyone, including me, including you! I have reverted these names of (then) children and need them to stay removed, as per clear policy. While not libelous, they invade privacy of these people.

ALSO, I still [https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Mary_Kay_Letourneau&oldid=prev&diff=970570416 don't understand] how [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Text_formatting#Other_uses MOS:BOLDREDIRECT means we bold the victim's name.] Could you zero in on what I'm missing? [[User:Mcfnord|Mcfnord]] ([[User talk:Mcfnord|talk]]) 03:30, 1 August 2020 (UTC)
:[[User:QuestFour|QuestFour]]: You don't understand [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Biographies_of_living_persons#Privacy_of_names WP:BLPNAME], and you keep violating it. Read: ''The presumption in favor of privacy is '''strong''' in the case of family members of articles' subjects and other loosely involved, otherwise low-profile persons. The names of any immediate, former, or significant family members or any significant relationship of the subject of a BLP may be part of an article, if reliably sourced, subject to editorial discretion that '''such information is relevant to a reader's complete understanding of the subject.''''' [[User:Mcfnord|Mcfnord]] ([[User talk:Mcfnord|talk]]) 03:54, 1 August 2020 (UTC)

::I agree. The names of people who are not notable enough to have their own articles, especially children, should be left out, partly because of BLPPRIVACY, but mostly because it's trivial info to the general reader (a name with no face) that serves no function in defining the subject. If it is of no use then just use a general descriptor, respect their privacy, and leave the names out. [[User:Zaereth|Zaereth]] ([[User talk:Zaereth|talk]]) 21:31, 3 August 2020 (UTC)

== ''Child rapist'', a sort of revisited topic ==

[[User:TheXuitts|TheXuitts]] wants to call Letourneau a child rapist in the lead.[https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Mary_Kay_Letourneau&diff=1059393784&oldid=1059352922] I said to TheXuittsts that she wasn't [[Jimmy Savile]], and that even his wikipedia article doesn't have the first sentence say "child rapist." By saying she was a child rapist, an onlooker might think there was more than one victim (before reading more, if they read more) and that she was a serial offender. But there was one victim, and editors have previously pointed out that she didn't seem to have a sexual preference for children. See [[Talk:Mary Kay Letourneau/Archive 1#Child rape not statutory rape]] (2010 discussion) and [[Talk:Mary Kay Letourneau/Archive 3#statutory child rape]] (2019 discussion). So I think saying "child rapist" isn't true to [[MOS:ROLEBIO]]. And the lead says already "second-degree rape of a child." I told TheXuitts that the consensus is to continue to say "second-degree rape of a child" while pipelinking to the [[statutory rape]] article. TheXuitts also wanted to say that Letourneau's motivation for the crime was pedophilia. I told them that "based on [[Talk:Mary Kay Letourneau/Archive 5#BRD discussion]], you shouldn't add 'pedophilia' as a motive to that page. Pedophilia as a motive isn't in sources on this topic." So far, TheXuitts has dropped "pedophilia", but they really want "child rapist" in the lead. Is it better to say "convicted sex offender"? [[User:Valjean|Valjean]], in the most up-to-date discussion about using the term ''statutory rape'' in the article, you said, "I agree that we should continue to state 'second-degree rape of a child' while pipelinking to the Statutory rape article." Do you still hold this view? There's also things said at [[Talk:Mary Kay Letourneau/Archive 5#suspended prison term]] by [[User:Masem|Masem]] that I don't completely understand. Should I ask [[WP:NPOVN]] for their opinions? [[Special:Contributions/195.226.154.42|195.226.154.42]] ([[User talk:195.226.154.42|talk]]) 07:37, 9 December 2021 (UTC)

: She was convicted of second-degree child rape. Someone convicted of child rape is a convicted child rapist. If someone is convicted of murder we say they are a convicted murderer, so I don’t know why you see this as different. She was a convicted child rapist and it is accurate to say she is one. [[User:TheXuitts|TheXuitts]] ([[User talk:TheXuitts|talk]]) 08:52, 9 December 2021 (UTC)
:: "Child rapist" and "second-degree rape of a child" are practically synonymous, but have very different connotations in the public mind ''in the United States'', where, unlike France and many other nations, this would barely have been a crime, and certainly not have been punished as severely because it was consensual and he was so precocious.
:: Although this is the English LANGUAGE encyclopedia, we should not write only to the American or British mindset. The image created by those two words is the actions of a pedophile on an unwilling prepubescent child. In neither sense is that the case here. Fualaau was a large, fully developed, sexually precocious, 13-year old young man, there was no violence, and there is no evidence that Letourneau was a pedophile or sexually attracted to prepubescent children. He was a minor, and the relationship was illegal because it violated statutory rape laws in the state of Washington, and they are determined by the [[age of consent]]. The [[ages of consent in the United States]] vary between 16 and 18, depending on the state. It used to be lower in some states. IIRC, Mississippi or some other such southern state had it down to 13. At least marriage is legal at such low ages in some states.
:: Some countries go much lower than 16, and in France, sex with older children was previously legal as long as it was consensual. That's what got [[Roman Polanski]] in trouble. He did what was legal in France, but he was in Hollywood. Oops! The laws in France have also changed to older ages of consent. This article gives an interesting glimpse into the French mindset: [[French petition against age of consent laws]].
:: [[Ages of consent in Europe]] vary between 14 and 18, with it being 14 in Albania, Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, San Marino, and Serbia; 15 in Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Monaco, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden. So that gives you an idea of how widely this is interpreted. Some go with the natural sexual development of the child and their impulses, and others go as high as 18, which goes completely against the natural order, but are thus according to the nation's own religious laws and repressive attitudes toward sexuality.
:: In summary, Fualaau was one year younger than the legal age of consent in many European countries, and we should keep the international mindset in mind and not create an unnecessarily harsh image that would be a BLP violation. That's why we pipelink the legal conviction "second-degree rape of a child" to the [[statutory rape]] article. Otherwise, people will end up at articles related to [[pedophilia]], and that would be very wrong and violate our [[MOS:EGG|"easter egg"]] MoS guideline for wikilinks. -- [[User:Valjean|Valjean]] ([[User talk:Valjean|talk]]) 16:51, 9 December 2021 (UTC)
I have restored the consensus version and added a couple improvements. He was 13, not 12. Allowing that to be there at all was a huge BLP violation. -- [[User:Valjean|Valjean]] ([[User talk:Valjean|talk]]) 17:04, 9 December 2021 (UTC)
:[[User:Valjean|Valjean]], I'm confused because you restored one consensus format, but you removed another.[https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Mary_Kay_Letourneau&diff=1059468486&oldid=1059467954] See [[Talk:Mary Kay Letourneau/Archive 4#Should the article state that Fualaau was "12 or 13" at the time that Letourneau was sexual with him, or should it choose an age? If choosing an age, which one?]] (2019). "12 or 13" was chosen by [[User:Flyer22 Reborn|Flyer22 Reborn]], [[User:Pincrete|Pincrete]], and [[User:Colin M|Colin M]]. While Colin M did say "or just '12' if that's overwhelmingly favoured in RS", you voted "12 or 13, or only 12" in bold. Votes were for "12 or 13" because sources report both, which has caused a back and forth on the topic (as some editors will switch in "12" and others will switch in "13"). So what's changed? Maybe you need to place a [[Template:Note]] beside the age?
:[[User:Cunard|Cunard]]'s close said, "The consensus is that the article should state Fualaau was '''12 or 13'''. Some editors suggested that if sources disagree, then the disagreement should be added to the article. And that if sources lean heavily to one side, that should be noted in the article. There was little discussion of this suggestion, so there is no prejudice against discussing this approach further." [[Special:Contributions/195.226.154.9|195.226.154.9]] ([[User talk:195.226.154.9|talk]]) 03:05, 10 December 2021 (UTC)
:: I added a ref of the trial document that said: "was having sexual intercourse with V.F., a 13-year-old student at the school where she taught". That's as RS as one can get. Can any argument or other RS top that?
:: IIRC, there was uncertainty because popular RS sent mixed messages. It seems they weren't sure, but the trial document should seal the deal for 13. -- [[User:Valjean|Valjean]] ([[User talk:Valjean|talk]]) 04:02, 10 December 2021 (UTC)
:::I have to dig deep into my memory here, but vaguely remember that it was never established with precision when the relationship became 'actively' sexual - as opposed to merely flirtatious. Thus some sources go with 'still 12' if I remember correctly. BTW many of the European countries which you mention above make specific exceptions for a substantial age gap between parties and/or for those in a 'pastoral' role, such as teachers. [[User:Pincrete|Pincrete]] ([[User talk:Pincrete|talk]]) 07:45, 10 December 2021 (UTC)
:::[[User:Valjean|Valjean]], the leagle.com/ document which says 13 explicitly says ''"In early 1997, the King County Department of Public Safety Special Assault Unit received information that Mary K. Letourneau—a 35 year-old sixth grade teacher and mother of four children—was having sexual intercourse with V.F., a 13-year-old student at the school where she taught"'' ie he was 13 at the time 'ongoing' sexual relations were reported to authorities. The source does not appear to mention the age when relations began, nor the age when the two counts to which she pleaded guilty occurred. This really doesn't resolve the age question at all.[[User:Pincrete|Pincrete]] ([[User talk:Pincrete|talk]]) 08:02, 10 December 2021 (UTC)
:::: Ugh! That muddies the waters. Where are the other court records which discuss the actual beginnings of the relationship? -- [[User:Valjean|Valjean]] ([[User talk:Valjean|talk]]) 21:52, 10 December 2021 (UTC)
{{od}}
I know [https://historylink.org/File/5727 this isn't a RS], but it mentions existing police reports, and it should be possible to find them cited in court records. According to it, "Fualaau later told police that the two had their first sexual encounter shortly before his 13th birthday, in Letourneau's home, after her husband had left for work and while her four children were asleep." With such documentation from those RS, we should be able to put this to rest as "12 years old when they started a sexual relationship". -- [[User:Valjean|Valjean]] ([[User talk:Valjean|talk]]) 22:02, 10 December 2021 (UTC)

I haven't found a police report, but a TV news source, and they are usually considered RS: https://abc7chicago.com/mary-kay-letourneau-vili-fualaau-student-teacher-lovers-teacher-sleeps-with-student/647483/ Is that good enough? -- [[User:Valjean|Valjean]] ([[User talk:Valjean|talk]]) 22:27, 10 December 2021 (UTC)

Okay, I have found a better one, although it's just an archive of a [[WDBJ]] news broadcast. It's still a RS that explicitly states: "FUALAAU WAS JUST TWELVE YEARS OLD WHEN THE AFFAIR WITH HIS TEACHER BEGAN."<ref name="WDBJ_4/4/2002">{{cite web | title=WDBJ 7 news at Noon for 04/04/02 | website=[[WDBJ]] | date=April 4, 2002 | url=https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/WDBJ-7/script_archives/02/0402/040402/040402.n.htm | access-date=December 10, 2021}}</ref>
That should be good enough. -- [[User:Valjean|Valjean]] ([[User talk:Valjean|talk]]) 22:42, 10 December 2021 (UTC)

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Latest revision as of 18:20, 22 October 2024

First paragraph is all in bold

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I think that's a format mistake but I'm not sure, so, I'm just mention it.

Kind regards! riveravaldez (talk) 08:35, 27 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

It's fixed. Thanks. Jauerbackdude?/dude. 13:14, 27 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Last-ish Line—People Mag 2020

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I realize this might be a controversial suggestion, so I figured I'd just flag it here. People Magazine is obviously ... not a great source, and while I'm ambivalent on whether that last comment is removed, I do think the current end of this article is a bit misleading. The People Mag source is from 2020. But, in a September 2020 interview with Dr. Oz [2], Fualaau seemed to defend his ex wife, saying, "That is my wife and she is my best friend and we had our kids together and we did get married and we had a whole life together." At the same time, Fualaau also said that, were he attracted to minors, he would "seek help." It seems like that commentary, which is directly attributable to Fualaau (rather than unnamed sources) and also more recent than the People Mag report should probably be featured in the article instead of or at least after the People Mag report.--96.94.213.161 (talk) 15:23, 8 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

TMZ as a source?

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TMZ even has her death certificate that says that she was cremated.[1] WP:TMZ says that there is no consensus if it is unreliable or reliable, but articles also use it. TheGreatestLuvofAll (talk) 23:13, 26 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

References

  1. ^ [1]

lead writing

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These sentences on the lead are exceptionally badly written. The whole point of this writing seems to underline again and again the crime committed, at cost of readability. It sounds like tabloid scandal headlines more than an encyclopedia.

Letourneau was 34, and the child, Vili Fualaau, was 12 years old when she initiated the sexual abuse. He was her sixth-grade student at an elementary school in Burien, Washington. While awaiting sentencing, she gave birth to Fualaau's daughter.

After the first sentence that correctly introduces the crime, the followings should come back to the fact in a cronological order. Starting from where she teached, her family status at the time, how she encountered Fualaau, how they met, how she approached him sexually, the police being tipped off, etc. Cinemaandpolitics (talk) 15:39, 18 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

For comparison, looking at a page that editors could find equally despicable, the Hitler page would be useful. Even though the Holocaust has its central spot in the lead it doesn't immediatelly erase the need for more general writing in following paragraphs. Cinemaandpolitics (talk) 09:15, 22 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I've expanded the chronology of their encounters on body and then moved on in expanding the lead. Notably I've reworded "sexual abuse" in "statutory rape". MOS:CRIMINAL is pretty clear that general definitions should be avoided in favor of precise crimes, which the opening paragraph correctly did already. Cinemaandpolitics (talk) 18:20, 22 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
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