The Aaron Knodel trial ended in April 2015 with the North Dakota Teacher of the Year acquitted on three of five felony counts of corruption of a minor, a mistrial on the remaining two after a juror was hospitalized and admitted lying during jury selection, and — two months later — dismissal of those last counts. Knodel was reinstated to the West Fargo Public School District, kept his teaching license on a 5-3 vote of the state licensing board, and still works for the district today.
The Charges Against Knodel
On August 22, 2014, Cass County prosecutors charged Aaron Knodel, then a 35-year-old English teacher at West Fargo High School, with five felony counts of corruption or solicitation of a minor under North Dakota Century Code § 12.1-20-05.1Grand Forks Herald. N.D. Teacher of the Year Faces Felony Charges for Alleged Sexual Relationship With Student The accuser, former student Maggie Wilken, alleged that Knodel began a sexual relationship with her in late 2008 and early 2009, when she was 17 and he was 29. North Dakota’s age of consent is 18, so the alleged conduct was criminal regardless of any question of force.2FindLaw. North Dakota Century Code § 12.1-20-05, Corruption or Solicitation of Minors
Two of the five counts were Class B felonies, carrying a school-proximity enhancement because the alleged acts took place in Knodel’s classroom. The other three were Class C felonies tied to acts alleged to have happened at Knodel’s home and in the student’s car.1Grand Forks Herald. N.D. Teacher of the Year Faces Felony Charges for Alleged Sexual Relationship With Student A conviction on all five counts would have exposed Knodel to up to 35 years in prison.3The Dickinson Press. Knodel and Wife Take Stand, Deny He Had Sexual Relationship With Student
Wilken did not report the alleged relationship for years. She testified that while in college training to become a counselor, she learned she would be a mandatory reporter of sexual misconduct and decided to report her own situation first.4Bismarck Tribune. West Fargo School Board Votes to Reinstate Knodel Because Knodel had existing relationships with West Fargo police, the case was moved to the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
What the Trial Showed
The five-day jury trial began in April 2015 before Cass County District Court Judge Steven McCullough. Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Byers prosecuted. Robert Hoy represented Knodel.
The prosecution’s centerpiece was a set of phone records: 93 calls between Knodel and Wilken in late 2008 and early 2009, totaling 2,157 minutes. Twenty-three of the calls came after 10 p.m., six after midnight, and eight ran between one and four hours.5Grand Forks Herald. Mentoring Push Helps Explain Knodel’s Calls With Student A handwriting expert offered a non-definitive opinion that notes found inside a copy of the novel Twilight were likely written by Knodel. Wilken, then 23, testified about specific encounters, provided a diagram of Knodel’s home, and said the relationship ended when she texted Knodel on his 30th birthday and his wife saw the message. She also acknowledged consulting an attorney about possible civil litigation against Knodel and the district.6Grand Forks Herald. Teacher of the Year Sex Trial Goes to Jury
Knodel took the stand and denied any sexual relationship. He characterized the calls as mentoring a struggling student and pointed to a district initiative, sometimes called “Starfish,” that encouraged teachers to reach out to students at risk of dropping out.5Grand Forks Herald. Mentoring Push Helps Explain Knodel’s Calls With Student He denied writing the notes in Twilight and said he had never read the book. His wife, Marie Knodel, corroborated his account, said she was aware of the calls because she paid the family’s phone bill, and testified that one late-night call involved a student upset that an intoxicated parent had left the house.7KVRR. Knodel, Wife Take the Stand in Day 4 of West Fargo Teacher Sex Trial The defense also called more than a dozen character witnesses.6Grand Forks Herald. Teacher of the Year Sex Trial Goes to Jury
Hoy had earlier said Knodel passed a polygraph, but the judge ruled that polygraph evidence would not be admitted absent an advance reliability review, which the defense did not pursue.8Jamestown Sun. Polygraph Results Not Likely to Be Admitted in WF Teacher Case
The Juror Incident and the Split Outcome
Deliberations started on April 27, 2015, and stretched into a third day. On the morning of April 29, a female juror arrived at the courthouse visibly ill and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. She appeared disoriented and reportedly did not recognize her own sister.9Inforum. Mistrial Possible in Knodel Case After Hold-Out Juror Suffers Medical Emergency At the hospital, she told deputies she was the sole holdout for a guilty verdict and admitted she had not answered truthfully during jury selection when prospective jurors were asked under oath about personal experience with sexual abuse.10The Dickinson Press. Mistrial Possible in Knodel Trial as Juror Lied About Past With Sex Abuse Hoy later said her past trauma “manifested itself during deliberations” and that she had allegedly said she needed to “protect the children.”11Grand Forks Herald. Hospitalized Juror in Knodel Case Allegedly Said She Must Protect the Children
Judge McCullough dismissed the jury and polled the remaining eleven jurors. They reported a unanimous not-guilty finding on three of the five counts. On the other two, the vote had been 11-1 to acquit, with the hospitalized juror the lone dissenter.12Inforum. Prosecutors Ask for Mistrial in Knodel Case
How the Remaining Counts Were Resolved
Because the jury had not formally delivered its verdicts before being dismissed, and because the two remaining counts were deadlocked, prosecutors moved for a mistrial on all five counts. The defense filed a competing motion asking the court to accept the eleven jurors’ findings and enter acquittals across the board, arguing that a second trial would violate double jeopardy.13The Dickinson Press. Defense Says Knodel Is Protected From Second Trial
On June 4, 2015, Judge McCullough upheld the three not-guilty verdicts and declared a mistrial on the two remaining counts. On June 22, 2015, he dismissed those two counts without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could refile if new evidence emerged. The judge declined the defense request for dismissal with prejudice, explaining that a with-prejudice dismissal required “clear and convincing evidence that the prosecutor is acting in bad faith, contrary to public interest, or intentionally harassing the defendant,” and he found no such evidence.14Inforum. Charges Against Knodel Dropped No new charges have been filed since.
Reinstatement and Teaching License
On July 27, 2015, the West Fargo School Board voted unanimously to reinstate Knodel and awarded him back pay for the roughly eleven months he had spent on unpaid leave. Wilken appeared at the meeting and urged the board not to reinstate him, describing the aftermath as making her life “extremely difficult.” Superintendent David Flowers said the district considered Knodel “exonerated of any criminal charges” and characterized the phone calls as “well intended” mentoring that nonetheless reflected a failure to maintain professional boundaries.4Bismarck Tribune. West Fargo School Board Votes to Reinstate Knodel
The following week, on August 3, 2015, the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board voted 5-3 to dismiss an inquiry into whether Knodel had violated ethical or professional conduct codes, allowing him to keep his teaching license. Board attorney Sandra Voller said the board was not legally required to act absent a criminal conviction. Dissenting member Amy Mann said the board had “a responsibility to students to protect them from misconduct by teachers,” and Mike McNeff called the volume of late-night calls “overboard, from an ethical perspective.”15Inforum. Knodel Clears Final Hurdle as State Board Allows Him to Keep Teaching License16The Dickinson Press. On Split Vote, State Board Clears West Fargo’s Knodel for Classroom
Where Knodel Is Now
Knodel did not return to a traditional classroom after his reinstatement. As of 2023, a district spokesperson said he was working for the West Fargo Public School District as an instructional coach supporting teachers at Sheyenne High School.17Inforum. Showtime Scraps Series Based on Former West Fargo Student’s Claim Against Teacher
The Three Women Connection
The case reached a national audience in 2019, when journalist Lisa Taddeo published Three Women, a nonfiction book following the intimate lives of three American women. Maggie Wilken was one of the three subjects, and the only woman in the book to use her real name.18New Zealand Herald. Three Women: How Lisa Taddeo’s Book Became a Bestseller The book covered the alleged relationship, the trial, and its aftermath in detail, became a bestseller, and drew renewed attention to the case in the context of the #MeToo movement.
A television adaptation was initially developed for Showtime but dropped in late January 2023 during a corporate restructuring after Paramount announced that Paramount+ would absorb the Showtime brand. The cancellation was described as a cost-cutting move unrelated to the Wilken case.17Inforum. Showtime Scraps Series Based on Former West Fargo Student’s Claim Against Teacher The series premiered on Starz on September 13, 2024.19Elle. Three Women Book and Show Differences Explained