Lorena Bobbitt, who hit the headlines for cutting off the penis of her husband John Bobbitt in 1993 following domestic and sexual abuse, is in the news now, 26 years after the incident. On May 25, a Lifetime movie "I Was Lorena Bobbitt" was streamed taking people back to the crime that sent chills down the spine over two decades ago.
Lorena married Bobbitt in the year 1989 after falling in love with his looks and uniform. She wanted to live the American dream, she said. But soon after marriage her life became hell as Bobbitt allegedly raped, sodomized, and assaulted her. On June 23, 1993 too he raped her and after putting up with his harassment for years together, she cut off John's penis with a kitchen knife while he was asleep at their house in Manassas, Virginia.
The incident led to the coining of the word bobbitize for severing of the penis. Over the years the word has found its place in the lexicon.
Did Lorena, John Serve Jail term?
After cutting off the penis, Lorena left the house and drove her car as far as she could get. She threw the penis on the roadside and made a call to 911 and explained the incident.
Lorena was put on trial. After hearing the case and all arguments, the court acquitted her of attempt to murder charges by reason of insanity. The court considered the fact that she was undergoing trauma and directed her to undergo psychological evaluation under Virginia law.
She spent 45 days at Central State Hospital, located in Petersburg, Virginia, known for treating patients with psychological problems. After the check up, the court ordered her release. John and Lorean's divorce was finalized in 1995.
Bobbitt refuted all the claims made by Lorena. The penis was surgically reattached in a nine-and-a-half-hour surgery. Bobbitt was acquitted of rape charges. He later acted in two pornographic movies, according to reports.
What Does Lorena Do Currently?
After the incident, Lorena went back to her maiden name Gallo. Lorena is still in long-time relationship with Dave Bellinger and the couple has a daughter Olivia, born in 2005. Initially, Lorena remained away from media attention, but slowly came out and started speaking of the incident to create awareness about domestic violence.
In 2007, she founded Lorena's Red Wagon (Lorena Gallo Foundation) to expand education about domestic violence and sexual prevention along with providing emergency response resources and community engagement for survivors and their children.
Lorena and Bobbitt appeared together in the show The Insider in May 2009. On the show, he apologized to Lorena for the way he had treated her. Since then she has taken part in numerous TV shows addressing the issue and works as an advocate for survivors and victims of domestic abuse.
