“I never meant to chop off my husband’s penis – it just happened”
Twenty five years ago, John Wayne Bobbitt was attacked by wife Lorena while he slept. Now, a new documentary brings the shocking case into the spotlight once more
Their troubled marriage led to them becoming one of the world’s most famous – or infamous – couples, when Lorena Bobbitt hacked off her husband’s penis in a brutal revenge attack.
Millions followed her court case, during which Lorena claimed husband John Wayne had raped her before she lashed out. Some branded her a “jealous wife”, while others said years of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her husband had pushed her to commit the shocking crime.
Now, 25 years on, the sordid scandal is making headlines again, thanks to a new documentary, which will reveal the hidden truths behind the headlines – and Lorena will finally provide her perspective on the story as well as talk about “abuse and her demand for justice”.
sexual abuse
Lorena met John in 1989, when she was just 19. Won over by his charm, the pair married after just nine months of dating. But Lorena claimed John quickly became verbally, physically and emotionally abusive. She also said that he was unfaithful and alleged he even ordered her to have an abortion.
It was after four years that Lorena finally reached breaking point. On 23 June 1993, at around 3am, John returned to their home in Virginia after a night out drinking with his friends. She stated in a court hearing that he had then attempted to rape her, something he was later acquitted of.
Lorena claimed, “He jumped on top of me and he started grabbing my arms really tight. I said, ‘I don’t want to have sex’, but he forced me. My underwear was being ripped off. He wouldn’t listen.”
Later, as John drifted to sleep, a distressed Lorena went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. In a split-second decision, she also picked up a 12-inch knife. She returned to the bedroom, pulled back the covers and castrated her husband while he slept. Leaving him bleeding in the bed, she ran to her car and drove off.
“I remember going to the car, and I saw that in one hand was the knife and in the other hand was his penis. I tossed it out of the window,” she said.
state of shock
Lorena then drove to the home of her boss, Janna Bisutti, who called the police. Meanwhile, John woke up, initially believing the blood was from a wound on his arm. When he realised what had happened, he woke his friend, who was staying over at the Bobbitts’ home, and they rushed to hospital.
John had lost a third of his blood, but surgeons who
treated him recall him being surprisingly calm – perhaps in a state of shock. After an extensive search by the police, detectives found John’s penis outside a shop. They stored it in a bag of ice and put it in a hot dog wrapper to transport it to hospital. Surgeons then began a delicate nine-and-ahalf-hour operation to reattach it, which was successful.
Lorena was arrested for questioning and a media storm soon followed. Five months later, in November 1993, she stood trial on charges of malicious wounding, but made claims that she had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by her husband.
Police backed Lorena’s story and said there had been several complaints of domestic violence at the Bobbitt home. In one incident, John was arrested for hitting Lorena in the face.
‘VINDICTIVE’
Witnesses also supported the claims, saying they’d seen bruises and swelling all over her body. And just hours before Lorena castrated her husband, her neighbour had even handed her some pamphlets on rape, which were later found on the bedroom dresser.
But John denied the allegations, and his lawyer argued that Lorena was “vindictive” and calculating. They also claimed that she was the violent partner and would attack John if he even looked at another woman.
However, the evidence of John’s abuse was overwhelming and, at the end of her eight-day trial, the jury found Lorena not guilty on the grounds of temporary insanity – and she was required to spend 45 days in a psychiatric hospital. John was charged with marital sexual assault but was later found not guilty in a separate trial.
International interest in their court cases made the pair infamous and even led to a spate of copycat attacks on men being reported, dubbed “Bobbittmania.”
PORN MOVIES
John went on to do a 40-city media tour and also starred in several porn movies, including John Wayne Bobbitt: Uncut and Frankenpenis.
After the hype of the story died down, John had a number of jobs, including as a construction worker and a truck driver, and he has been married and divorced several times.
Following her release from state hospital, Lorena admitted that she regretted her actions. “I never meant to hurt anybody,” she said. “I never hurt anybody before. It just happened.”
The Bobbitts divorced in 1995. Lorena went on to live a quiet life out of the spotlight. She reverted to her maiden name of Gallo, met a new partner and had a daughter. She also founded the domestic violence organisation Lorena’s Red Wagon in 2007 to provide counselling for victims of abuse.
She said at the time, “Domestic violence could happen to anyone. Unfortunately, it happened to me and I have to accept it. I got to the point where I [was able to] integrate back into the community. I have a family. I’m very blessed to have friends and family who are supportive.”
❛ IN ONE HAND WAS THE KNIFE AND IN THE OTHER WAS HIS PENIS. I TOSSED IT OUT OF THE WINDOW ❜
Lorena will launch on Amazon Prime Video on 15 February