A California wife is accused of cutting off the penis of her estranged husband. She was arrested late last night after investigators responded to a 911 call and is now in custody at the Orange County Jail.
Catherine Kieu Becker of Garden Grove, Ca. reportedly prepared dinner for her husband and put a poisonous substance or drug in his food to make him drowsy. While the man was sleeping, Becker allegedly tied him to the bed. When he awakened, Becker cut his penis off with a knife and threw it into the garbage disposal, turning it on as she did so.
According to Police Lt. Jeff. Nightengale, Catherine Becker called 911 at around 10 p.m. requesting emergency assistance. She reportedly told responding officers that he ‘deserved it.’ Authorities say the married couple is going through a divorce.
Officials confirm that the victim has been upgraded to stable or good condition and is being treated at a local hospital.
Police say that pieces of the severed penis were recovered from the crime scene and transported to the hospital with the victim last night. Officers hope to interview the victim either today or tomorrow.
Catherine Becker has been charged with “aggravated mayhem, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, administering a drug with intent to commit a felony, poisoning and spousal abuse,” according to the Associated Press. The most serious of these charges is “aggravated mayhem,” which carries a life sentence with possibility of parole (as opposed to just “mayhem,” which has a sentence of 3-5 years).
Police Lt. Nightengale says, “It’s so heinous — we’re looking at this as premeditated. Her intention was to permanently deprive him of a piece of his body and do it in such a way to inflict a great amount of pain and psychological damage.” He also adds, “I’ve been doing this for 22 years and the only other time I remember this happening was when Lorena Bobbitt did it, and that didn’t even happen here. This isn’t a typical domestic violence case — it was way over the top.”
Catherine Becker was taken into custody without incident, but refused to be interviewed. It is unknown whether or not she has retained counsel for herself.
