Lorena Bobbitt, The Wife Who Cut Off Her Husband’s Penis Due To Alleged Abuse
Jeffery Markowitz/Getty ImagesLorena Bobbitt during her “malicious wounding” trial, which became a huge scandal in the 1990s.
Early in the morning on June 23, 1993, 24-year-old Lorena Bobbitt walked into the bedroom she shared with her 26-year-old husband, John. She held a kitchen knife in her hands. And as he slept, Lorena cut off his penis.
Not only did the incident lead to a huge 1990s scandal, but the Virginia couple also became a national punchline. “It was so cold in Virginia,” Jay Leno quipped as the scandal unfolded, “that the snowman in Lorena Bobbitt’s backyard had its carrot snapped right off.” However, the full story behind Lorena’s attack on John was deeply disturbing.
Lorena, who was born in Ecuador and grew up in Venezuela, had met John in 1988 at a club for enlisted men near the Quantico Marine base. John was then a U.S. Marine, and Lorena was dazzled by his uniform and blue eyes. The attraction was mutual, and the two were soon married in June 1989.
But things quickly soured. John allegedly physically and sexually abused Lorena, and — as he bounced from job to job — it fell on Lorena to keep their household afloat. The couple split, then reconciled. And in June 1993, John came home one night after drinking and allegedly raped Lorena.
POOL/AFP/Getty ImagesJohn Bobbitt during his wife Lorena Bobbitt’s trial.
Afterward, Lorena cut off John’s penis with a kitchen knife.
Incredibly, doctors were able to reattach the appendage. John was ultimately acquitted of marital sexual assault in the aftermath, and Lorena was found not guilty of malicious wounding by reason of temporary insanity.
She has since become an advocate for domestic violence survivors; John Bobbitt became an adult film star and appeared in films like Frankenpenis.
