Diksha Sundriyal
Starz’s ‘Three Women’ follows a writer named Gia Lombardi, who travels across the country and finds three women whose stories she writes about in her book. One of those women is a 20-something Maggie Wilken, who accused her high school teacher, Aaron Knodel, of having a relationship with her when she was still a minor. The story depicted in the show is borrowed from reality, where real-life Knodel was put on trial for the charges levied against him by his former student. The show tells the story from Wilken’s point of view, leaving the audience to wonder what Knodel has to say about it all and how his life has been since the events depicted in the Starz series.
The Charges Against Aaron Knodel Were Not Proven in a Court of Law
Aaron Knodel was considered a model teacher at West Fargo High School, but his reputation was threatened in 2014 when Maggie Wilken accused him of having a sexual relationship with her when she was 17 and he was 29. Knodel was charged with five counts of corruption or solicitation of a minor. He faced two Class B felony charges for alleged sexual acts in his classroom and three Class C felony charges for alleged acts that took place at his residence and in Wilken’s car. The conviction for all these charges would have landed Knodel in prison for up to 35 years. Knodel pled innocent to all charges, and the case went to trial, being highly publicized at the time.
One of the major points used against him was the call log, which showed 93 calls between him and Wilken between late 2008 and early 2009. Five of those calls were found to be between 60 and 120 minutes long, while three calls went longer than 2 hours. 23 of the said calls were placed after 10 pm. Of the six placed after midnight, one call was 240 minutes long. In his testimony, Knodel said that all of the calls were regarding the personal problems that Wilken was going through at the time, which he was helping her with. In reference to the timings of the calls and how they reflected unprofessionally on his part, he said that he was “a very dedicated teacher, to the detriment of [his] family sometimes because [he] put in a lot of time.” When the part about leaving notes in Wilken’s copy of ‘Twilight,’ which she claimed she had given to him, was put forward, he testified that he had never read the book and not written any of the notes inside it.
Knodel also testified that he told Wilken not to contact her anymore in March 2009 after she made an advance on him and he heard rumours starting to circulate about them. Several of his friends, colleagues, and family members also testified on his behalf. At the end of the trial, Knodel was acquitted on three charges, while the other two were dismissed after the court declared a mistrial. Following this, Knodel went back to teaching. During the period of the trial, he had been suspended without pay. However, when the charges were cleared, his license was reinstated, and he was also granted the backpay. He also received the support of his colleagues and students, some of whom staged a counter-protest in his favor when Maggie Wilken started a protest against him. Knodel and his family, however, did not actively partake in the protest.
Aaron Knodel Still Works as a Teacher
Aaron Knodel lives in West Fargo, North Dakota, with his wife, Marie, with whom he has two sons and a daughter. Following the trial, he moved from West Fargo High School to Sheyenne High School, where he works as an Instructional Coach supporting teachers. He is also an assistant coach at the Sheyenne Mustangs Boys’ Golf team, with which he is heavily involved, often multitasking several things. Since the trial, Knodel has not publicly spoken about the trial or the accusations against him and has preferred to enjoy his privacy.
While not much is known about Knodel’s personal life, his academic career presents him as an accomplished teacher. He holds a Bachelor of Science in secondary education (English emphasis) from North Dakota State University. He is an alumnus of the College of St. Catherines in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he got his MA in curriculum & instruction. He started his teaching career after receiving a National Board Certification in English Language Arts/Adolescence & Young Adulthood in 2011. He has been awarded the High School Teacher of the Year in 2011-2012, District Teacher of the Year in 2012-2013, and North Dakota Teacher of the Year in 2014. Apart from the trial, he is not known to have had any altercation with the law.
Read More: Three Women: Is Maggie Wilken Based on a Real Woman? Where is She Now?
