Catherine Kieu Found Guilty Of Cutting Off Husband's Penis; Southern California Woman Convicted Of Torture, Aggravated Mayhem
A California woman was convicted Monday of drugging her estranged husband and then cutting off his penis before throwing it in a garbage disposal.
Catherine Kieu, 50, was found guilty in an Orange County courtroom of torture and aggravated mayhem in the July 11, 2011, incident. She faces up to life in prison without parole when she is scheduled to be sentenced June 28.
Kieu drugged her estranged 60-year-old husband by stuffing sleeping pills in his tofu. She then screamed, “You deserve it!” and cut off his penis with a 10-inch kitchen knife, said Orange County Deputy District Attorney John Christl, according to the Associated Press.
Kieu then mutilated the penis by throwing it in the garbage disposal and turning the disposal on, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Doctors at UC Irvine Medical Center attempted to reattach the penis but were unsuccessful, KTLA reported.
Prosecutors said Kieu felt angry and jealous because her husband was about to seek a divorce and he was seeing an ex-girlfriend, according to the AP.
The AP and other media outlets would not identify the husband’s name, but KTLA named him only as “Glen B.” According to KTLA, the couple was married in December 2009 and Glen B filed for divorce in May 2011.
Kieu’s lawyer, Frank Bittar, claimed her husband subjected her to verbal and sexual abuse, according to the AP.
He claimed his client had mental health problems and was molested as a child in Vietnam. Bittar contended Glen B constantly demanded sex.
On the night of the attack, the couple argued about a friend staying over at their condo in Garden Grove, Calif., according to KTLA.
During the trial, Bittar claimed Kieu had a break from reality at the time of the incident.
Christi said Kieu’s past growing up in Vietnam was no excuse for her criminal behavior.
“It doesn’t change the fact that she sliced off the penis due to her vengeance, vanity and jealousy,” he said, according to the Orange County Register.
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