Catherine Kieu Becker allegedly drugged her estranged husband, tied him to a bed, cut off his penis and threw it in a garbage disposal.
LOS ANGELES - The California woman accused of slicing off her husband's penis with a 10-inch knife and dropping it into a garbage disposal pleaded not guilty Friday.
Catherine Kieu, 48, appeared in Orange County Superior Court on charges of felony torture and aggravated mayhem and faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted. She is being jailed in lieu of a million dollars bail.
Prosecutors said the real estate broker from Garden Grove, Calif., drugged her 60-year-old husband with laced tofu July 11 after an argument at the dinner table over him having friends stay over at the house.
When he passed out, she tied him to a bed with nylon ropes.
When he woke up, she sliced off his penis.
A source told the Daily News that she was consumed with jealous rage over her husband's recent divorce filing and his purported interest in another woman.
The victim, a textiles business owner whose name is being withheld, was rushed to UC Irvine Medical Center, but there has been no official word on the type of surgery he received or its outcome.
Police confirmed parts of his severed organ were recovered from the disposal and taken to the hospital.
"He's doing well as far as his health is concerned. Psychologically, I have no reports indicating he is doing otherwise," Orange County Senior Deputy District Attorney John Christl told the Daily News, refusing to say whether the penis was reattached.
Christl, discussing motive in the case, said: "There was some discussion at dinner about having friends come over to stay at the residence. People are asking, 'Was it a woman?' There's no other information on that at this time."
Police told The News that the victim was in surprisingly good spirits shortly after the incident. Kieu was charged with aggravated mayhem rather than mayhem specifically because she placed the organ into the garbage disposal, seemingly in an effort to destroy it.
Kieu called 911 after the horrific act. When cops showed up at the door, she said her husband "deserved it," police said.
The couple filed for divorce in May after 16 months of marriage. The victim told cops he allowed Kieu to continue living in his apartment because she had nowhere else to go.
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