The Real Reason Lorena Bobbitt Was Acquitted Of Her Crimes

Most people know the story of Lorena Bobbitt, especially if they were around in the '90s. She was the woman who famously chopped off her husband's penis. According to ABC News, Bobbitt, an immigrant from Ecuador, was married to John Bobbitt, whom she alleges abused her physically and even sexually throughout their marriage. On the night of June 23, 1993, the purported abuse came to a boil, and he allegedly raped her. Once he had fallen asleep, Lorena found a knife and sawed off her husband's member with it. She then fled with it by car, flinging the curled up little trophy out the window before phoning the police. 

The police took both Lorena and the penis, recovered from the roadside, into custody that night. When John woke up from his stupor and found himself cut short, he drove, where surgeons managed to make him whole.

The media treated the ensuing trial with a combination of glee and solemnity. After all, it was an alleged case of domestic abuse and appalling sexual violence. Lorena testified, in tears, that John would choke her when intoxicated and demand sex. Then-president Bill Clinton signed the Violence Against Women Act in 1994, while the trial was ongoing. Yet, the bizarre circumstances of the case meant Lorena's suffering would always have an air of schoolboy humor about it. The fact that John would find a dubious success as a novelty porn star would only bury the tragedy deeper (via Refinery 29).

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Refinery29 explains that both of the Bobbitts were charged with serious crimes — John with marital sexual assault, Lorena with malicious wounding — but both were acquitted. Part of the decision to acquit Lorena was the history of abuse leading up to the night in question. Police had been called to the Bobbitt house half a dozen times for domestic abuse or assault cases before the night in question. This action did not come out of the blue.

The fulcrum of Lorena's case would be whether she was sane when she finally cut through her husband's malignancy. The judge ruled that she was "so impaired by disease that she was unable to resist the impulse to commit the crime."

What disease did he mean? Before and after the incident, Lorena reportedly suffered from panic attacks and depression related to her abusive marriage. The weight of her trauma — that overused word should only be used for people in situations like hers — was enough to significantly impair her judgment, likely causing her to do things that no sane person would consider.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).