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John and Lorena Bobbitt

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John Bobbitt

John Wayne Bobbitt (born March 23, 1967 in Buffalo, New York) and Lorena Bobbitt (née Gallo, born October 31, 1970 in Bucay, Ecuador) were an American couple, married on June 18, 1989, whose difficult relationship gained worldwide notoriety for an incident in 1993 when Lorena severed John's penis with a knife. The penis was subsequently surgically re-attached.

Incident

During the night of June 23, 1993, John Wayne Bobbitt arrived at the couple's apartment in Manassas, Virginia, allegedly intoxicated after a night of partying. According to testimony given by Lorena Bobbitt in a 1994 court hearing, he then raped her. (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. Grabbing the knife, Lorena Bobbitt entered the bedroom where John was sleeping and proceeded to cut off nearly half of his penis.[1]

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 taken to the hospital where John Bobbitt was being treated.

The penis was reattached by Doctors James T. Sehn and David Berman during a nine-and-a-half-hour operation.[2]

Arrest and trial

File:BobbittTrial.jpg
Dr. James T. Sehn presenting evidence of the wounding.

Lorena Bobbitt was taken into custody. During the trial, the couple revealed details of their volatile relationship and the events leading up to the assault. She stated that her husband sexually, physically, and emotionally abused her during their marriage. She added that her husband flaunted his infidelities, and had forced her to have an abortion. Several witnesses provided testimony supporting her claims. Her 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] However, when Lorena was arrested the night of June 23, she told the police, "He always have orgasm [sic], and he doesn't wait for me to have orgasm. He's selfish."[4] John Bobbitt 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.[5][dead link] Under state law, the judge ordered Lorena to undergo a 45-day evaluation period at Central State Hospital, located in Petersburg, Virginia, after which she would be released.

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

After the incident

John

File:Bobbitt Uncut.jpg
DVD Cover of John Wayne Bobbitt: Uncut

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, to pay his mounting medical and legal bills, though the band was unsuccessful and failed to generate enough money.[6] 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).[7]

On August 10, 1998[8] he appeared on the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program alongside the porn star character Val Venis who at the time "almost"[clarification needed] had his penis cut off by a fellow WWE contender.[9][10] Over a decade later, the renamed WWE later changed their sympathetic stance in 2012 by using Sharon Osbourne[11] to promote John Cena in his match against Dwayne Johnson, in spite of her remarks the previous year on "The Talk" about a similar, actually worse, case.

Not long after, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he worked as a bartender, limousine driver, mover, pizza delivery driver, and tow truck operator. He also had a stint serving at a wedding chapel as a minister of a Universal Life Church in Las Vegas.[3][12]

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.[13] 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.[6]

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 him not guilty because of insufficient evidence.[14]

Lorena

After the trial, Lorena Bobbitt attempted to keep a low profile and reverted to the use of her maiden name, Gallo. In December 1997, Gallo made news when she was charged with assault for punching her mother, Elvia Gallo, as they watched television.[15] She was eventually found not guilty of assault and her mother continued to live with her. In 2007, she was working at a beauty salon in the Washington, D.C. area[16] and in the same year founded Lorena's Red Wagon organization, which helps prevent domestic violence through family oriented activities.[17]

In June 2008, Gallo appeared on the CBS News program The Early Show where she talked about her life since the incident. In the interview, she said that she was in a long-term relationship with Dave Bellinger and that they had a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter.[18] In a 2009 appearance on Oprah, Gallo said that if she could take anything back she would never have married John Wayne Bobbitt.

Joint public appearance

Although Lorena told Oprah Winfrey in April 2009 that she had no interest in talking to John,[17] John and Lorena appeared together on the show The Insider in May 2009. It was their first meeting since their divorce.[19][dead link] On the show John apologized to Lorena for the way he treated her during their marriage, and Lorena claimed that John still loved her because he continued to send her Valentine's Day cards and flowers.[20][dead link]

Cultural impact

The Bobbitt case was one of the first cases that brought public attention to the subject of marital rape.[21][dead link] The case also brought attention to the issue of domestic violence and the realization that men as well as women can be the victims of such violence. Within days of the incident, domestic violence and feminist groups rallied around Lorena, citing the alleged continuous abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband that caused her to attack him, albeit in an unusual and violent manner.[22]

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 Lorena had later been killed in a car accident because "some prick cut her off".[23] The incident was quickly adapted/parodied as a low-budget feature film called Attack of the 5'2" Women starring Julie Brown as "Lenora Babbitt" along with an adaptation of the Tonya Harding case. In the film Fight Club, the character Tyler Durden comments that although the main character's house has been blown up, "You know man...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", referencing the Bobbitt case. The incident is also mentioned in the "Weird Al" Yankovic single "Headline News".

Shortly after the incident, episodes of "Bobbittmania", or copycat crimes, were reported.[24] The name Lorena Bobbitt eventually became synonymous with penis removal. The terms "Bobbittised punishment" and "Bobbitt Procedure" gained social recognition.[25][dead link]

"Mayhem", a season 4 episode of Law & Order, was partially inspired by this case.

The song "Bobbitt" by canadian punk band SNFU is about John Wayne Bobbitt.

The 2013 song "Lorena Bobbitt" by New Zealand singer Aaradhna

See also

References

  1. ^ Bell, Rachael. "Crimes Below the Belt: Penile Removal and Castration (Chapter 1)". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  2. ^ Achenbach, Joel (1993-10-07). "A Stitch in Time:`My Wife Cut Me' John Bobbitt Said. For Two Doctors, It Was a Night To Remember". Retrieved 2009-12-14.
  3. ^ a b c d Bell, Rachael. "Crimes Below the Belt: Penile Removal and Castration (Chapter 2)". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  4. ^ Smolowe, Jill & Peterzell, Jay (1993-11-22). "TIME Magazine-Swift Sword of Justice". Time. Retrieved 2010-06-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Virginia Vs. Lorena Bobbitt, Court TV. Courttv.com. Retrieved on 2012-10-14.
  6. ^ a b IMDb: John Wayne Bobbitt – Biography
  7. ^ John Wayne Bobbitt at the Internet Movie Database
  8. ^ "Raw is War: August 10, 1998". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on 2006-10-26. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  9. ^ Reynolds, R.D. (2003). Wrestlecrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling. Toronto, Ontario: ECW Press. pp. 222–223. ISBN 1-55022-584-7. {{cite book}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  10. ^ "Wrestlecrap: The Val Venis Castration". wrestlecrap.com.
  11. ^ John Cena WrestleMania XXVIII Promo uploaded February 9, 2012
  12. ^ Bernard Ryan, Jr. "John Wayne and Lorena Bobbitt Trials: 1993 & 1994 – John Bobbitt's Troubles Continue".
  13. ^ "Jail for John Bobbitt". The New York Times. 1994-09-01. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  14. ^ McGrath Schwartz, David. "Bobbitt not guilty of domestic battery charges, judge says: Estranged wife says she was pushed to ground". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  15. ^ "Bobbitt's Ex-Wife Charged in Assault". The New York Times. 1997-12-08. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  16. ^ Biography.com. "Lorena Bobbitt Biography". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  17. ^ a b "Lorena Bobbitt's Unforgettable Story". Oprah.com.
  18. ^ "Lorena Bobbitt, 15 Years Later". CBS News. 2008-06-25. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  19. ^ "John & Lorena: The Shocking Bobbitt Reunion at The Insider".
  20. ^ "John Bobbitt still loves Lorena 16 years after she hacked off his penis". ANI. May 5, 2009.
  21. ^ Jackson, Danielle. "Culture Culture: Conversations in Cultural Criticis". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  22. ^ "Battle of Sexes Joined in Case Of a Mutilation". The New York Times. 1993-11-08. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  23. ^ Pershing, Linda. "His Wife Seized His Prize and Cut It to Size: Folk and Popular Commentary on Lorena Bobbitt". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  24. ^ Gumbel, Andrew. "Bobbittmania takes a grip on psyche of Latin lover". Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  25. ^ Husain, M., Rizvi, S.J., Usmani, J.A. "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)
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