Lorena Bobbitt Cut Off Her Husband's Manhood With a Butcher Knife — Radar Revisits the Grisly Case That Made Global Headlines 33 Years Ago
Lorena Bobbitt made global news when she sliced off her husband's manhood in the middle of the night.
June 24 2026, Published 5:51 p.m. ET
Lorena Bobbitt has no regrets, RadarOnline.com can reveal, 33 years after the abused wife chopped off her husband's manhood with a butcher knife, ran from their home, and chucked the appendage out her car window.
The act made headlines across the globe and set the disgruntled woman on a course that would see her become a major advocate for domestic violence and sexual assault prevention.
Allegations of Abuse Led to a Gruesome Slicing
Lorena and John Wayne Bobbitt married in 1989, but the relationship soon soured.
Lorena and John fell in love and married on June 18, 1989. But before long, the now 56-year-old said their relationship turned violent, and she had accused him of raping and abusing her for years.
The fighting culminated late at night on June 23, 1993, at their home in Manassas, Virginia. Lorena stated in a court hearing that, after coming home that evening, her husband raped her.
After he went to sleep, she got out of bed and went to the kitchen for a drink of water. She then grabbed an eight-inch Ginsu carving knife on the kitchen counter, returned to their bedroom, pulled back the bed sheets, and sliced off his p---s.
"As the whole world knows, I cut his p---s off," she stated bluntly in a 2024 documentary. "There's no way for me to candy-coat it. I just said it, because that’s what happened."
Lorena Went On The Run
Lorena is now an advocate for domestic violence education.
After taking her whack, Lorena jumped in her car and sped away – still holding the severed appendage. She later admitted to struggling to steer with one hand, while holding the member with her other.
Eventually, she tossed John's manhood out a window into a roadside field. Lorena then stopped and called 911, telling them what she had done and where the manhood could be found. The body part was ultimately retrieved by police and successfully reattached via surgery.
Revisiting the gruesome night, Lorena said in a 2019 interview, "repeated verbal, physical and sexual abuse" motivated her to commit the act.
She also admitted she's still not sorry.
"Oh my god, how could you regret something that was not planned?" Lorena said at the time. "How could you? You have to understand, I wasn't in my right mindset."
Lorena's Legacy
She was acquitted of a crime after being found temporarily insane.
After undergoing many psychiatric examinations, the bitter wife was acquitted of malicious wounding after the court concluded she was temporarily insane.
Lorena, who has since reverted to her maiden name, turned what was for years a punchline into a foundation for good, establishing the Lorena Gallo Foundation, which advocated against domestic violence.
According to its mission, the organization strives to "expand domestic violence and sexual assault prevention education, emergency response resources and community engagement activities that will improve outcomes for survivors and their children."
She also found love again, with a man named David Bellinger, whom she met in college. The two later welcomed a daughter, and have been together for more than 20 years, but as of the last reports, they weren't married.
John Moves On
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John is still looking for some closure to his nightmare.
Former US Marine John was found not guilty of marital sexual assault and still claims that he did not abuse her. Decades later, John has tried to piece together a new life, including a short stint as an adult film star.
Still, all he wants is some final closure.
"I would hope she would speak up and admit she made a mistake," John previously said. "We could have worked it out and had a family.
He admitted he and Lorena both tried to punish each other as their relationship soured.
John asked: "But why couldn't she have waited until the morning to talk to me?"
