A man whose is wife is accused of cutting off his penis is recovering from his wounds and in fairly good spirits, police said.
Garden Grove police detectives have interviewed the 60-year-old man in the hospital, where he is resting after surgery. He was listed in good condition.
"The detectives said he is in surprisingly good spirits considering all that happened to him,” Lt. Bruce Nightengale said.
On Wednesday, Orange County prosecutors charged his wife with two felony counts for allegedly cutting off her husband's penis and throwing it in a garbage disposal after drugging him and tying him to a bed.
Catherine Kieu Becker, 48, faces one felony count each of torture and aggravated mayhem with sentencing enhancements for great bodily injury and personal use of a knife. If convicted on all counts, she faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
She has been held without bail since her arrest Monday night. Her arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday in Westminster, where she is expected to plead not guilty.
The real estate broker lived with her husband, identified by prosecutors only as John Doe, in a Garden Grove apartment.
She got into an argument with her husband about "friends staying at the residence," according to a statement by prosecutors.
The husband told police that his wife served him dinner and that he went to bed about 9 p.m. While he was sleeping, she "tied the victim’s legs and arms to the four corners of the bed with nylon ropes," prosecutors said.
The victim told authorities that when he woke up, his wife pulled down his pants, "grabbing the victim’s penis and severing it with a knife." She then took the penis to the kitchen and threw it in the garbage disposal, "turning it on and mutilating the organ."
She then called 911. Nightengale said she told officers that her husband "deserved it."
The victim, who was not identified, underwent surgery. But the severed organ could not be reattached.
Reached by phone by the Orange County Register, he said only: "This is a private matter."
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-- Andrew Blankstein
Photo: Catherine Kieu Becker. Credit: Garden Grove Police Department via KTLA -TV