Introduction
Lorena Bobbitt is someone who heavily popularised the idea of marital rape, at a time when it was considered no more than an oxymoron. It was a time when it was hard to prove a thing like marital rape. Lorena was only 23 when she became a news sensation after severing her sleeping husband’s genitalia with a kitchen knife. Interesting? Read on.
About Lorena Bobbitt
The night of June 23 in 1993, changed Lorena’s life forever. She and her husband John Bobbitt used to reside in Manassas, Virginia. Before the crime took place, they both had agreed to part their ways. When he was asleep, she got up to have some water between 3:30 and 4:30 am and returned with a kitchen knife to sever his penis. Lorena left the crime spot and went on driving in the car with the separated appendage in her hand. With a disturbed mental state, she was powerless to drive further and got rid of the organ in some roadside field. She also called 911. Owing to an extensive search by the police, they finally found it and had the organ reattached after nine-hour-long plastic surgery.
The court trials didn’t accuse anyone of guilt and the case was a draw. Lorena asserted that she was raped by John on the night of June 23rd. She also revealed the abusive side of their relationship and about “forced abortion”. Along with this, Lorena was considered to be depressed and suffering from PTSD. John was not charged with any sexual assault, either.
Lorena’s crime is “temporary insanity.” After a 45 day psychiatric observation, she was discharged from the State Hospital at Virginia. The couple divorced two years later i.e. in 1995.
Early Life And Family
Lorena was born as Lorena Gallo on 31 October 1970 in Ecuador. She was raised in Venezuela along with two younger siblings. She was staying in America on a student visa before marrying John Bobbitt in 1989 at the age of 20. John was two years older. He used to work in the U.S. Marines but left in 1991. Thereafter Lorena’s work at a salon became their only source of income.
After the incident, she pursued her education further from a community college in 2001. There she met her current partner David Bellinger. They both share a daughter named Olivia who was born in 2005. Lorena currently resides in Virginia.
Career And Major Milestones
- Lorena visited Ecuador in 1996 and had dinner with President Abdala Bucaram.
- In 2007, she started an organization named “Lorena’s Red Wagon Organization.” Through it, she supports victims of domestic violence.
- In 2009, for the first time, Lorena and John appeared together in “The Insider.”
- In 2019, ” Lorena” was released. The documentary interviews Lorena and John. It was produced by Jordan Peele.
- Lorena was the executive producer for “I Was Lorena Bobbitt” which was released in May 2024. The film features her as the narrator.
- She appeared in countless interviews on TV after the famous case. It gained her massive popularity.
A Few Things You Didn’t Know
- Lorena has revealed that she still receives flowers and cards on Valentine’s Day from John.
- The Case added the term “‘bobbitize’’ to the dictionary. It means to sever a man’s genitals furiously.
- After the incident and trials, John went on to work in some pornographic movies.
Net Worth
As per the latest estimate, Lorena has a net worth of $0.6 million. Though she is a hairstylist currently, the documentary “Lorena” gave her a huge fortune.
