Simone WilsonUpdate: The Times reports that Becker faces two felony counts of “torture and aggravated mayhem,” with “sentencing enhancements for great bodily injury and personal use of a knife.” Prosecutors say she had been arguing with her victim over “friends staying at the residence.” Considering the consequences, maybe the sleepovers went a little beyond “friend”ly?
Updated after the jump: Catherine Becker is the new Lorena Bobbitt — and her chilling lack of remorse (so far) upgrades her to Bobbitt 2.0. She'll be in court at 1:30 p.m. today.
Originally posted July 12 at 10:35 a.m.
Wow. Where to begin.
In the midst of what seems to be a pretty nasty divorce, 48-year-old Garden Grove woman (excuse us, psycho bitch) Catherine Kieu Becker decided it was time to teach her soon-to-be ex-husband, 51-year-old Mr. Becker, a lesson in, uh, not using his pecker. Or, for that matter, having one at all. Because if Catherine can't have it, no one can! Gahhhhh!
Gotta love the O.C.
When it came to removing her husband's penis — both before and after the operation — Catherine never wavered in motive or strategy.
Via OC Weekly:
Police recovered rope and a bloody knife in the unit.Here's the sad tale detectives were told: The Beckers are going through a divorce, but the wife had come over to the apartment to make the husband dinner. What he did not know was she had allegedly seasoned the meal with a drug or unknown poison. Not feeling well during dinner, he went to lie down.
He awoke to find himself tied up to the bed with his wife tugging his clothing off. This was not reconciliation, as she is alleged to have then gone at the Becker pecker with a knife. Upon removal, she is said to have tossed the schlong into the garbage disposal and turned the disposal to the “on” position.
Kindly, Catherine took the initiative to call an ambulance for her dis-endowed husband. But not before informing police he “deserved it.”
The poor guy was immediately rushed into “emergency surgery” at the UC Irvine Medical Center, which we really don't want to imagine but can't help imagining went a little like a Marilyn Manson identity crisis might go. (Sorry.)
Whoever is next to live in Apartment No. 21 at 14171 Flower Street: Don't be alarmed by the mangled penis ghost moping around, reminiscing on extramarital affairs past. Also: Maybe don't use the garbage disposal.
Poor little Lorena Bobbitt; Credit: Life Magazine
Update: Though the comparisons to OG dick-chopper Lorena Bobbitt are widespread, Catherine Becker has completely outdone her predecessor.
While Bobbitt drove out to a field and chucked her husband's member out the window in 1993, she immediately regretted her actions — calling police for a massive search that ended in the location and preservation of the penis. (John Bobbitt, who turned out to be a total sleezebag, even went on to employ the thing in a bad porn. As well as a bunch more failed relationships.)
Plus, Bobbitt testified that she had been a victim of spousal rape the night of the chopping, on top of years of physical and emotional abuse. Womens-rights orgs ran to her defense during the trial, and Bobbitt ended up coming away with a mere 45-day mental-health evaluation for the crime.
So far, we haven't see those orgs running to the defense of Catherine Becker. (She's under $1 million bail in O.C. County jail, facing a possible life sentence behind bars for aggravated mayhem, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, administering a drug with intent to commit a felony, poisoning, and spousal abuse.)
For one, Becker seems to be the only abusive one in the relationship —
In a “Who'd you rather?” poll on TMZ.com, 77 percent of voters (including us) choose Lorena.; Credit: TMZ
Her husband could have been a cheater, as Becker implied when she told police he “deserved it,” but no implications of any violence on his part have emerged yet.
Garden Grove police Lieutenant Jeff Nightengale says investigators have not been able to question the suspect yet, as she pulled Miranda Rights right after telling officers that her husband deserved it. Becker's 911 call will not be released by police, as it is considered evidence. She'll be arraigned at the Westminster Courthouse at 1:30 p.m. today, where the D.A. will most likely shoot for a life sentence for Becker via charges of “aggravated mayhem.”
Nightengale says this is not a sex crime, as sex crimes are for “the sexual gratification for the perpetrator,” and “There's nothing that leads us to believe she did this for her own personal sexual gratification. Her motivation is anger.”
The lack of public sympathy for Becker could also have a lot to do with the fact that the Vietnamese-American ex-housewife of Garden Grove has displayed no semblance of regret or distress in the aftermath of her horrific crime.
Her execution was systematic: Poison man, lob off man's manpower, grind it up in garbage disposal to ensure man never regains manhood (or makes bad porn).
Some more details of the crime, rounded up by OC Weekly:
Mr. Becker is calling the attack, in which Catherine employed a 10-inch kitchen knife (lord have mercy) a “private matter” from the hospital. He's expected to survive, but no word on whether his ground-up penis — collected from the crime scene by a first responder — is re-attachable. The couple has been married since December 2009, and Catherine's husband was the one to file for divorce in May.
What do you think: Should the verb “Bobbitise” be changed to “Beckerise,” given Catherine's one-uppance of the woman who started it all?
[@simone_electra/swilson@laweekly.com]
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