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John and Lorena Bobbitt

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John Wayne Bobbitt (born 23 March 1967 in Buffalo, New York) and Lorena Leonor (née Gallo) (born 1970 in Bucay, Ecuador) were an American couple, married on June 18, 1989, whose difficult relationship gained worldwide notice for an incident in 1993 when Lorena severed John's penis with a knife.

Incident

On the night of June 23, 1993, John Wayne Bobbit arrived at the couple's Manassas, Virginia apartment intoxicated after a night of partying and, according to testimony by Lorena Bobbit 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 Bobbit 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 Bobbit entered the bedroom where John was asleep; and she proceeded to cut off more than half of his penis.[1]

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 Dr. David Berman during a nine and a half hour operation.[2]

Arrest and trial

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.[3]

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.[3]

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.[4] Under state law, the judge ordered Lorena to undergo a 45-day evaluation period at a mental hospital, after which she would be released.[3]

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

Life after the incident

John Wayne Bobbitt

After the incident, John Wayne Bobbitt attempted to generate money from his notoriety in a number of ways. He formed a band, "The Severed Parts" aka penis men, to pay his mounting medical and legal bills, though the band was unsuccessful and failed to generate enough money.[5] 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).[6] 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.[7] 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.[3]

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.[3] In 1994, he was convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery against his former fiancée, Kristina Elliott, and sentenced to 15 days in jail.[8] 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.[5]

After two trials for domestic abuse against Joanna Ferrell, his third wife, in 2004 — one ending in conviction for John 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 John Bobbitt not guilty, due to insufficient evidence.[9]

Lorena Gallo (Bobbitt)

After the trial, Lorena was treated as a feminist "hero",[3] 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.[10] She was eventually found not guilty of assaulting her mother. Her mother currently lives with her. She is working in a beauty salon in the D.C. area. As of 2008, Lorena is attending Virginia Wesleyan College located in Virginia Beach, VA, and working towards her Bachelors Degree in Business Administration.[11]

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 Lorena's Red Wagon which helps to prevent domestic violence through family oriented activities.[12]

Cultural impact

The Bobbitt case was one of the first scandals that brought legitimacy to the subject of marital rape and forced abortion.[13] 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.[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 urban legend that she was killed in a car accident because (note the double-entendre) "some prick cut her off".[15] Shortly after the incident, episodes of "Bobbittmania", or copycat crimes, were reported.[16] The name Lorena Bobbitt eventually became synonymous with penis removal. The term “Bobbittised punishment” gained social acceptance.[17]

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 bust to rape his wife." Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne references Bobbit in his song "Psycho Bitch II", singing "Lorena Bobbit told her to slice yo dick" in the opener. Several other hip hop artists have tried unsuccessfully to use the story in their rhymes. The subject was also mentioned in the film Fight Club where Tyler Durden says "It could be worse. A woman could cut off your penis while you're sleeping, and toss it out the window of a moving car".

See Also

References

  1. ^ Bell, Rachael. "Crimes Below the Belt: Penile Removal and Castration (Chapter 1)". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  2. ^ Altman, M.D., Lawrence K. "The Doctor World; Artful Surgery: Reattaching a Penis". Retrieved 2007-10-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e f Bell, Rachael. "Crimes Below the Belt: Penile Removal and Castration (Chapter 2)". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  4. ^ Virginia Vs. Lorena Bobbitt, Court TV.
  5. ^ a b IMDb bio
  6. ^ John Wayne Bobbitt IMDb credits
  7. ^ Reynolds, R.D. (2003). Wrestlecrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling. Toronto, Ontario: ECW Press. pp. 222–223. ISBN 1550225847.
  8. ^ "Jail for John Bobbitt". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  9. ^ McGrath Schwartz, David. "Bobbitt not guilty of domestic battery charges, judge says: Estranged wife says she was pushed to ground". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  10. ^ The New York Times. "Bobbitt's Ex-Wife Charged in Assault". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  11. ^ Biography.com. "Lorena Bobbitt Biography". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  12. ^ CBSNEWS.com. "Lorena Bobbitt, 15 Years Later". Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  13. ^ Jackson, Danielle. "Culture Culture: Conversations in Cultural Criticis". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  14. ^ The New York Times. "Battle of Sexes Joined in Case Of a Mutilation". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  15. ^ Pershing, Linda. "His Wife Seized His Prize and Cut It to Size: Folk and Popular Commentary on Lorena Bobbitt". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  16. ^ Gumbel, Andrew. "Bobbittmania takes a grip on psyche of Latin lover". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  17. ^ Husain, M, Rizvi, SJ, Usmani, JA. "A Critical Review of Post-phase Period of Lorena Bobbitt's Indictment". Retrieved 2007-10-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

Look up Bobbitt in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.


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