John and Lorena Bobbitt

John Wayne Bobbitt (born March 23 1967 in Buffalo, New York) and Lorena Leonor Bobbitt ("née" Gallo) (born 1970 in Bucay, Ecuador) were an American couple, married on June 18 1989, made famous for a 1993 incident in which Lorena cut off John's penis with a kitchen knife.

Incident

On the night of June 23 1993, John Bobbitt arrived at the couple's Manassas, Virginia apartment intoxicated after a night of partying and, according to testimony by Lorena in a 1994 court hearing, raped his wife. (Note: He was tried and acquitted for this alleged spousal rape in 1994; he was prosecuted by the same district attorney who prosecuted Lorena for allegedly attacking John.) Afterwards, Lorena 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", 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 entered the bedroom where John was asleep; and she proceeded to cut off more than half of his penis.cite web|url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/sexual_assault/severed_penis/index.html | title= Crimes Below the Belt: Penile Removal and Castration (Chapter 1) | author=Bell, Rachael | accessdate=2007-10-14]

After assaulting her husband, Lorena left the apartment, with the severed penis. After driving a short while, she 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 located.

The penis was re-attached by Doctors James T. Sehn and David E. Berman during a nine and a half hour surgery. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE6D61F30F930A25754C0A965958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print | title= The Doctor World; Artful Surgery: Reattaching a Penis | author=Altman, M.D., Lawrence K. | accessdate=2007-10-14]

Arrest and trial

Lorena was taken into custody. After her arrest, she commented to police that "He always has [an] orgasm and he doesn't wait for me to have [an] orgasm. He's selfish."cite web|url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/sexual_assault/severed_penis/index.html | title= Crimes Below the Belt: Penile Removal and Castration (Chapter 2) | author=Bell, Rachael | accessdate=2007-10-14]

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.

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 temporary insanity causing an irresistible impulse to sexually wound her husband. As a result, she could not be held liable for her actions. [ [http://www.courttv.com/archive/casefiles/verdicts/bobbitt.html Virginia Vs. Lorena Bobbitt, Court TV.] ] Under state law, the judge ordered Lorena to undergo a 45-day evaluation period at a mental hospital, after which she would be released.

In 1995, after seven years of marriage, Lorena and John divorced.

Life after the incident

John Wayne Bobbitt

After the incident, John Wayne Bobbitt attempted to cash in on his notoriety in a number of ways. He formed a band, "The Severed Parts", to pay his mounting medical and legal bills—though the band was unsuccessful and failed to generate enough money. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001956/bio IMDb bio] ] In 1994, John appeared in the adult film "John Wayne Bobbitt: Uncut", in another attempt to make money. In 1996, he appeared in another adult film, "Frankenpenis" (also known as "John Wayne Bobbitt's Frankenpenis"). [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001956/ John Wayne Bobbitt IMDb credits] ] In 1998 he appeared on the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw program alongside the porn star character Val Venis who had recently almost had his penis cut off. [cite book |title=Wrestlecr
last=Reynolds |first=R.D. |authorlink=RD Reynolds |year=2003 |publisher=ECW Press |location=Toronto, Ontario |isbn=1550225847 |pages=222-223 ] Not long after, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where he worked as a bartender, limo driver, mover, and tow truck operator. He also had a stint serving as a minister of a Las Vegas church.

After the divorce, John continued to have run-ins with the law. He was reportedly arrested seven times for offenses ranging from assault to grand larceny. In 1994, he was convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery against his former fiancée, Kristina Elliott, and sentenced to 15 days in jail. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9906EFDA1738F932A3575AC0A962958260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fB%2fBobbitt%2c%20John%20Wayne | title= Jail for John Bobbitt | publisher=The New York Times | accessdate=2007-10-14] In September 1999, he was sentenced to five years probation for his role in the theft of more than $140,000 in clothing from a store in Fallon, Nevada, and ordered to pay $5,000 restitution and serve 100 hours of community service.

After two trials for domestic abuse against Joanna Ferrell, his third wife, in 2004—one ending in conviction for Bobbitt and the other in acquittal—he was arrested for a third offense in September 2005. Days after the third incident, he filed for a divorce. On February 8 2006, a municipal judge found Bobbitt not guilty, due to insufficient evidence. [cite web|url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Feb-08-Wed-2006/news/5773116.html | title= Bobbitt not guilty of domestic battery charges, judge says: Estranged wife says she was pushed to ground | last=McGrath Schwartz |first=David | accessdate=2007-10-14]

Lorena Gallo (Bobbitt)

After the trial, Lorena was treated as a feminist "hero", though she attempted to keep a low profile and resumed the use of her maiden name. In December 1997, Lorena made news when she was charged with assault for punching her mother, Elvia Gallo, as they watched television. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C00E1DA163CF93BA35751C1A961958260 | title=Bobbitt's Ex-Wife Charged in Assault | author=The New York Times | accessdate=2007-10-14] She was eventually found innocent of assaulting her mother. Her mother currently lives with her. As of 2007 she is employed in the Ashburn, Virginia area as a hair stylist. [cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=235414 | title= "Lorena Bobbitt Biography" | author=Biography.com | accessdate=2007-10-14]

Lorena appeared on CBS where she spoke exclusively with The Early Show about her life after the scandal, 15 years later she has a fiancé, Dave Bellinger, and a two and a half year old daughter named Olivia. She has founded the organization [http://www.lorenasredwagon.com Lorena's Red Wagon] which helps to prevent domestic violence through family oriented activities. [cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/25/earlyshow/leisure/celebspot/main4207517.shtml| title= "Lorena Bobbitt, 15 Years Later| author=CBSNEWS.com | accessdate=2008-07-28]

Cultural impact

The Bobbitt case was one of the first scandals that brought legitimacy to the subject of marital rape and forced abortion. [cite web|url=http://cultureculture.wordpress.com/2006/01/ | title= Culture Culture: Conversations in Cultural Criticis | author=Jackson, Danielle | accessdate=2007-10-14] The case also brought attention to the issue of domestic violence. Within days of the incident, domestic violence and feminists 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. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7DF1139F93BA35752C1A965958260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fB%2fBobbitt%2c%20Lorena | title= Battle of Sexes Joined in Case Of a Mutilation | author="The New York Times" | accessdate=2007-10-14] Media attention surrounding the case resulted in national debate and also sparked a flurry of jokes, limericks, T-shirt slogans, advertising gimmicks, and an urbanlegend that she was killed in a car accident because (note the double-entendre) "some prick cut her off". [cite web|url=http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=HTGXj49B0KjTkC2LLY1JFF2vbGQvTlmp1xBfyjhth1rh4C2JFxzS!-1287907597?docId=96536733 | title= His Wife Seized His Prize and Cut It to Size: Folk and Popular Commentary on Lorena Bobbitt | author=Pershing, Linda | accessdate=2007-10-14] Shortly after the incident, episodes of "Bobbittmania", or copycat crimes, were reported. [cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19950110/ai_n9629503 | title= Bobbittmania takes a grip on psyche of Latin lover | author=Gumbel, Andrew | accessdate=2007-10-14] The name Lorena Bobbitt eventually became synonymous with "penis removal". The term “Bobbittised punishment” gained social acceptance. [cite web|url=http://www.icfmt.org/vol2no3/critical.htm | title= A Critical Review of Post-phase Period of Lorena Bobbitt’s Indictment | author=Husain, M, Rizvi, SJ, Usmani, JA | accessdate=2007-10-14] This incident was one of three news stories used in the song "Headline News" by "Weird Al" Yankovic, a parody of the Crash Test Dummies hit "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm", and was used as one half of the Julie Brown comedy film "Attack of the 5'2" Women" with the also topical Tonya Harding story. D12's Bizarre also rapped "I don't give a fuck about my dick/that's why I'm dating Lorena Bobbitt" on the song "Rap Game" which appeared on the 8 Mile Soundtrack. Rapper Foxy Brown also made a comment in 112's song "U Already Know" where she rapped "Plus I cut like I train Lorena Bobbit." Rapper Konkrete rapped "She'll be castrated, Lorena Bobitt maybe" on the song "Tomb of the Boom" of the the Outkast album Speakerboxxx. Freekey Zekey rapped "Your girl leanin' on my Corvette, she take penis like Rena Bobbit." Also, death-rapper Necro raps at the end of a freestyle before he leaves, "I'm out like the last nut Bobbitt will ever use to rape his wife" Several other hip hop artists have tried unsuccessfuly to use the story in their rhymes.

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0001956|name=John Wayne Bobbitt
*imdb name|id=1061991|name=Lorena Bobbitt