Catherine Kieu, Calif. woman, goes on trial for allegedly severing estranged husband's penis
(CBS/AP) SANTA ANA, Calif. - A California prosecutor says a jealous wife yelled "You deserve it" before severing her estranged husband's penis with a kitchen knife and throwing it in a garbage disposal.
The Orange County Register reports a jury heard opening statements Wednesday in the case of 50-year-old Catherine Kieu, who is accused of drugging her husband's tofu with sleeping pills and tying him to a bed before the attack.
Deputy District Attorney John Christl says audio of the July 11, 2011 incident was captured by a voice-activated recorder Kieu had hidden in the bedroom.
Deputy Public Defender Frank Bittar says Kieu's severely traumatic childhood in war-torn Vietnam, including rape by her older brother, caused mental illness that bars her from a mayhem or torture conviction.