John Wayne Bobbitt and Lorena Bobbitt were an American couple, whose difficult relationship gained worldwide notice for an incident in 1993 when Lorena severed John's penis with a knife.
During the night of June 23, 1993, John Wayne Bobbitt arrived at the couple's apartment in Manassas, Virginia, highly intoxicated after a night of partying. According to testimony given by Lorena Bobbitt in a 1994 court hearing, he then raped her. (Note: In 1994 he was tried for and acquitted of spousal rape, prosecuted by the same district attorney who prosecuted Lorena for attacking her husband.) Afterwards, Lorena Bobbitt got out of bed and went to the kitchen for a drink of water. According to an article in the National Women's Studies Association Journal, while in the kitchen she noticed a carving knife on the counter and "memories of past domestic abuses raced through her head." Grabbing the knife, Lorena Bobbitt entered the bedroom where John was sleeping and proceeded to cut off almost half of his penis.
After assaulting her husband, Lorena left the apartment with the severed penis, drove a short while, then rolled down the car window and threw the penis into a field. Realizing the severity of the incident, she stopped and called 911. After an exhaustive search, the penis was located, packed in ice, and brought to the hospital where John was being treated.
The penis was re-attached by Dr. James T Sehn and Dr. David Berman during a nine-and-a-half-hour operation
Lorena was taken into custody. During the trial, the couple revealed details of their volatile relationship and the events leading up to the assault. Lorena stated that John sexually, physically, and emotionally abused her during their marriage. She also stated that John flaunted his infidelities, and forced her to have an abortion. Several witnesses provided testimony supporting Lorena's claims. Lorena's defense attorneys maintained that John's constant abuse caused Lorena to eventually "snap" as she was suffering from clinical depression and a possible bout of post traumatic stress disorder due to the abuse. However, when Lorena was arrested the night of June 23rd, she told the police, "He always have orgasm [sic], and he doesn't wait for me to have orgasm. He's selfish.".
John denied the allegations of abuse. However, when he was cross-examined, his statements often conflicted with known facts, severely weakening the prosecution's case.
After seven hours of deliberation, the jury found Lorena "not guilty" due to insanity causing an irresistible impulse to sexually wound her husband. As a result, she could not be held liable for her actions. Under state law, the judge ordered Lorena to undergo a 45-day evaluation period at a mental hospital, after which she would be released.
The Bobbitt case was one of the first unique scandals that brought public attention to the subject of marital rape. The case also brought attention to the issue of domestic violence. Within days of the incident, domestic violence and feminist groups rallied around Lorena, citing the continuous abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband that caused her to defend herself, albeit in an unusual and violent manner.
The name Lorena Bobbitt eventually became synonymous with penis removal. The term “Bobbittised punishment” gained social acceptance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_and_Lorena_Bobbitt
