Orange County Wife Catherine Kieu On Trial For Severing Husband's Penis

After almost two years of legal posturing, a court finally heard opening statements in the case against Orange County resident Catherine Kieu. Her crime? Severing the penis of her husband.

Kieu's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Frank Bittar, claims that it all started when Kieu realized that her husband was going to divorce her. After finding out that he was dating a former girlfriend while they were still living together, she apparently "lost it."

On July 11, 2011, Kieu laced his food with the sleeping pill Ambien, and waited until her husband, who has not been named, went to sleep. She then proceeded to tie her husband up to their bed. When he came to, all he could hear was her screaming "you deserve it," and he could hardly believe what was happening to him.

The husband noted that the drug had made him very groggy and made him feel that he "wasn't there," perhaps alluding to the slightly hallucinogenic effects of the drug. He claims that Kieu "pulled on my shorts. I didn't really understand what she was doing."

He continues: "I looked down and I saw something metallic, silver, shiny. I still didn't know what was going on. I felt her grab hold of my penis. I was very surprised." It was then that he "felt a very sharp pain and she had cut my penis off and then threw it on the carpet next to the bed."

But Kieu did not stop there. She then took the severed penis and proceeded to go down to the kitchen, where she promptly threw it down the sink and turned on the garbage disposal, effectively guaranteeing there would be no way that he would be able to reattach it.

"Of course, I will never have a sex life again," he said. 'The healing process may never be completely finished. My mental state is improving, but it may never be what it was before."

The defense is claiming insanity, stating that her traumatic childhood in Vietnam caused her sever mental distress that should bar her from the charges of aggravated mayhem and torture, and thus, a life sentence.