Original subtitles

♪♪♪

Woman: What happened June 23rd in the pre-dawn hours

at this apartment building in Manassas, Virginia,

is still the subject of intense speculation.

♪♪♪

Elizabeth Vargas: A lot of people in America

think you must have done something

to provoke an attack this vicious.

What do you say to those people?

Okay, here it is. Here's what I did.

This is why she did it...

I didn't rape her. She just went crazy.

She struck out because she was angry because I was leaving her.

♪♪♪

She felt the husband was selfish because he had an orgasm

and she didn't.

So she grabbed a handful and sliced.

I mean, this was one angry woman.

- Whack it off. - I think she did it

so he wouldn't have sex with anyone else.

I think that was the real reason why she did it.

Becki Rinker: There was a lot more than just a scorned wife

who really just wanted to stick it to her husband.

I mean, there was a reason why she got pushed to that point.

Thinking about all the abuse that she's been through

and everything--in the middle of the night? Hello!

And how long can you beat on somebody before they flip?

I don't know. I don't know what went through her mind,

but I think she did-- I think she just went crazy.

♪♪♪

Woman: She seemed pretty crazy.

Well, actually, she was angry.

She wasn't insane right at that second.

She wasn't loony.

She flipped out over him beating her the last time

or however the shit went down. I--

I know now why people flip out.

Every action has a reaction. You know what I mean?

Like, anybody that endures that kind of pain, man,

the--the noodle's gonna slip off the plate.

They're gonna go.

♪♪♪

- Do I look presentable? - Man: You do.

- Is my hair combed? - Man: Yeah.

Do I have spinach in my teeth?

DAVID KAPLAN: The Bobbitt trial was great TV.

We were gonna do it as a cover story.

And that's what it would've looked like.

It would've been "The Bobb-- Bobbitt Obsession"

with a guest column unsympathetic to Lorena Bobbitt.

Guest column by Rush Limbaugh.

Uh, but this never ran.

Later in that week, Skate Gate broke.

Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan--

My tabloid story was out-"tabloided."

♪♪♪

Man: Tabloid fans are certainly getting their fill this week.

Nancy Kerrigan: Why? Why?

Reporter: The man who had been videotaping Kerrigan,

hit her on the leg with a club.

And in Los Angeles, there is the continuing drama

of the Menendez brothers.

CNN has been following this third day

of Lorena Bobbitt's trial in Manassas, Virginia...

It was a lot. It was great fodder.

You know, this was a wonderful time for tabloid TV.

Man: I think that the line that used to be drawn

between news and entertainment is now blurred.

And I don't think that's a very good idea.

There's nothing wrong with journalism

being entertaining.

Not everything has to be spinach.

There's nothing wrong with tabloid stories.

♪♪♪

Carlos Sanchez: And what better tabloid story

than the saga of John and Lorena Bobbitt?

The whole country's gone court crazy.

People have been talking about this case for months

around the water cooler at work.

This trial had it all.

That's why we covered it.

♪♪♪

Reporter: Russia has agreed to sell

500 metric tons of weapons-grade uranium.

Kaplan: When CNN cut away to coverage of arms talks,

they were deluged with complaints

about how could they do so?

Reporter: It's the old secret-thrill theory.

And despite people's denials, it does seem to apply.

Disgusted as you may be,

you are watching this story, aren't you?

- Oh, it was a madhouse. - It was--media--

- It was media-- - Media frenzy.

I went out to have a cigarette

and he pushed me in front of a camera.

I didn't mean to.

Diana: He was supposed to,

you know, find me a safe place to have my cigarette.

And apparently, they followed me because...

they knew I had something to do with you.

- Man 1: Nine. - Man 2: ABC.

[indistinct chatter]

Sanchez: The pressure to get information

was--was enormous, it was constant.

Woman: What's the status of their divorce?

Man: How would you characterize both of them?

Woman 1: Did he come to you--

- Woman 2: Did he talk about his wife? - Um...

Sanchez: There is this notion that people in a newsroom

are smart enough to weigh the pressures

of competition against ethical considerations.

But the pressures of competition will always win.

Of course, all the competition

was--was about trying to get interviews

with John Wayne and Lorena.

Man: Well, they're fighting over there.

Don't you guys fight over there.

There was a hundred reporters outside of my door.

And they were just following me to the courthouse.

And then at the courthouse, there was a hundred more.

Woman: Lorena, any comment?

Lorena!

[indistinct chatter]

Man: Lorena, I love you!

Reporter: How do you feel?

[chatter]

One of the people who chased us relentlessly,

uh, was Geraldo.

And he was the most obnoxious guy.

Just screaming over everybody

and pushing his camera crew through--

just crushing people out of the way.

Man: Stand back. Stand back. Get back.

He would send me pictures of himself

with his autograph.

♪♪♪

Alan Hauge: He was on the phone all the time,

he's sending faxes every place we were.

But this guy was showing up.

[camera clicking]

And I finally told Geraldo on the phone,

I said, "I'm not giving you an interview."

Lorena: I remember driving with my attorney.

And this camera crew of Geraldo Rivera

with the big mustache, was right next to us.

And he had a crew of ten people.

And--and a couple of vans running red lights

and waving at me.

[tires screech]

So we just speed up and drive to the house.

He will get off with his camera crew,

and go through the windows of the house,

trying to film.

♪♪♪

Alan Hauge: It was so overbearing on her,

people chasing her, people showing up,

people banging on the back door.

[banging]

Lorena: I would go home and I would just collapse.

I didn't want to eat, I didn't want to see anybody.

I just wanted to get into my room, close the door,

and--and sleep all the time.

[knocking]

[bell dinging]

[train whistle blares]

Reporter: The Manassas, Virginia, manicurist is scheduled

to return to the witness stand today to continue

telling her side of the story.

Medical experts are also scheduled to testify

to Lorena's sanity or insanity

at the time she mutilated her husband--

the ultimate question, after all,

in determining her guilt or innocence.

Everybody agreed in that case that she was an abused spouse.

We had found multiple witnesses.

That was of immeasurable assistance.

But the, uh, mental defense--

I--I thought that that's gonna be very difficult.

♪♪♪

The defense that we put on was

what is known in Virginia as irresistible impulse.

Irresistible impulse is maybe unique

to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

It's sim-similar to temporary insanity.

Blair Howard: And it means that because of a mental disorder,

you are impacted at the time of the act

to such a degree

that you cannot control your impulse to act out.

Dr. Evan Nelson: In my career,

I've actually only had two cases

involving insanity and jury trials

where there's been an insanity outcome.

Juries, generally, do not believe in insanity.

Blair Howard: I knew that we were gonna be in for a struggle.

Bailiff: All rise.

The Circuit Court of Prince William County

is now in session.

The Honorable Herman A. Whisenant Jr. presiding.

Be seated, come to order.

Counsel, you may proceed.

Lisa Kemler: ...Dr. Susan Feister.

Susan J. Feister, MD.

I'm the medical director

at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington, D.C.

I've treated hundreds of patients who have had

a history of battering or a history of being raped.

Lisa Kemler: Would you describe for the jury

what Lorena Bobbitt told you

about spring of 1990?

Yes, she described being under almost a constant barrage

of verbal violence and abuse.

She continued to state that she loved her husband.

She continued to hope that despite the abuse

she had endured, that the marriage would work out.

But this is very common in women who are experiencing

this kind of battering and violence.

Lorena: I was in love with him.

He was my first love.

I just wanted to give him a chance.

The religious part of me played a big part.

♪♪♪

We were raised Catholic.

So we grew up believing in God, obviously,

and the Virgin Mary, and the saints.

♪♪♪

I always wanted to get married

and stay married,

because my parents are married for a long time.

♪♪♪

I was a virgin when I married John.

I believed that I just give my whole life to this man,

that I'm gonna be with him forever.

♪♪♪

And, um, you know, to me, divorce was a failure.

♪♪♪

When we used to live in Lakewood Apartments on 1990.

James Lowe: How did it happen that you got pregnant?

I--I stopped taking the birth control

and, um, so I could become pregnant.

James Lowe: Why did you want to become pregnant?

Because I wanted to become a mother and because I wanted--

I wanted to-- uh, to have his child.

Yeah.

♪♪♪

Lorena: When I found out that I was pregnant,

I just have hopes that he was gonna change.

♪♪♪

I thought to myself, "This is it.

The family that I always wanted."

♪♪♪

It's the beginning of a new life.

It could be the end of sadness.

Well, I didn't know nothing about the pregnancy at all

until she came home from work one day

and she put a bib around me and said,

you know--you know, she was pregnant.

I said-- You know, I was kinda shocked

because I wasn't ready for something like that.

And-- And I told her we weren't ready for children.

I mean, we were just getting settled

and we didn't have money,

we didn't have financial security.

We were way over our heads.

We--We-- And then she wanted to get pregnant.

And then, like-- What?

Because she was from South America and she--

you know, she didn't have what it took to, you know,

live within her means.

She wanted too much, too fast.

Uh, she wanted it all.

Dr. Feister: He became extremely enraged.

He told her that she would make a terrible mother.

Uh, and that, um, if she did have a child,

that he would refuse to, um, help out or support the child.

And essentially, he told her she had to make a choice,

either between him or the baby.

John: She talked to Janet.

Janet told her she had a couple abortions.

You know, it wasn't that bad.

So we both agreed about getting an abortion.

♪♪♪

Lorena: He said, "Well, you cannot have this child.

You're gonna go and do what--what bad girls do."

He took me against my will.

The whole time, he was joking

about how big the needles was gonna be,

that I'm gonna be put to sleep.

I was crying so much and shaking that

the nurse came and took me away from him.

They give me something to calm me

and they start the procedure.

I--I really felt that--

I felt guilty after the whole thing.

I couldn't eat. I was--I feel very weak.

I feel sick. I feel like the life is over.

I felt...

I felt like I was falling apart.

♪♪♪

He would taunt her with repeated

degrading and demeaning comments.

He told me that-- that I was Spanish

and I don't deserve him.

He told her she was ugly, that she had a bad figure,

that she couldn't speak English.

A number of them were comments that had racial overtones.

Lorena started to believe a lot of the things

that John was telling her.

She began to feel worthless, that she was unattractive,

that no one would want her.

I think she thought if they got a divorce

that she would have to go back,

that she couldn't stay.

'Cause she was afraid of being sent back.

- Deported to her homeland-- - Deported.

Lorena: Every time he fight with me,

he threatened to take away all my paperwork

from Immigration.

♪♪♪

I was scared.

I mean, all of this-- things that John was saying,

"Oh, you're gonna be deported,

you're gonna be sent out to South America.

You know, you're not gonna get the green card.

And you're an alien, you're a foreigner."

♪♪♪

He told me that I don't deserve to be in this country.

And he always threatened me to tell Immigration

that they can kick me out.

During her testimony, she said several times

that he would denigrate her because she was Hispanic.

I think that fed into local Hispanic radio.

And they began to lament about, uh, this Hispanic woman

kind of being out there.

[man speaking Spanish]

To begin with, I didn't know her personally.

But after the news, I heard so much

because it was almost every day and every channel in everywhere

talking about Lorena Bobbitt.

I was afraid for her, to be honest.

As a woman, as a mother, as a sister.

I called the radio station and I said,

whoever want to come and support Lorena,

I will be-- really appreciate it

because this young lady who's in this country by herself

and being abused...

she needs support.

I didn't believe it will be so big a response...

[crowd chattering]

[man speaking Spanish]

Man: Yeah, why is everyone here today?

Why? We come to support to Lorena.

♪♪♪

Sanchez: A lot of the Hispanic community

living, particularly,

in Maryland and D.C., didn't have access to Manassas,

because Manassas was beyond the reach of the Metro rail.

♪♪♪

Gladys Oralla: I was in Maryland,

but I took the train all the way to Virginia.

And then I took a taxi.

♪♪♪

And I didn't realize that I have no money.

And I say to the drivers, "Excuse me.

How much is gonna be?

'Cause I have only $5 in my wallet."

He say, "Oh, no. Don't worry. I'll take you for free...

because my mother was abused as well."

Sanchez: People were calling in the Spanish stations

and basically offering rides to other Hispanics

to come show their support.

♪♪♪

Crowd: [chanting] Free Lorena Bobbitt!

Free Lorena Bobbitt! Free Lorena Bobbitt!

Sanchez: It was a bitterly cold January.

There was a lot of snow that month.

There was a lot of ice storms that month.

Crowd: [chanting] Free Lorena!

Free Lorena!

Sanchez: But on a daily basis during Lorena's trial,

there was easily 50 to 100 Hispanic supporters

from all over the region

who were there to cheer her on for about 30 seconds

when she entered the courthouse

and when she left the courthouse.

And they stayed there all day.

[chanting and cheering]

Lorena: It was incredible.

It make me feel that I wasn't alone.

[chanting and cheering]

Man: Lorena! Lorena!

We are with you, Lorena!

♪♪♪

Lorena: That meant so much to me.

I never forget that. Never.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

Lowe: In early June, was there an incident,

involving a tape recorder?

Yes, sir. It was.

Lowe: Why did you have the tape recorder?

I wanted to have a divorce,

so I--I got myself a tape recorder.

And I recorded the insults and the put-downs

that he did to me so I can show it to the divorce lawyer.

Lowe: What happened the night of the tape,

that he found the tape recorder? What did he do?

He hit me. He slapped me.

He pulled my hair. And he beat me out there.

He also raped me there.

Lowe: When you'd resist sex, what kind of sex would--

would he threaten you with?

He will-- he will have anal sex.

And he will force me into sex.

Lowe: Were you afraid of him at this time?

Yes, sir, I was.

Lowe: And he threatened to do something to you when you left.

Yes, sir, he did.

Lowe: What did he threaten to do to you if you left?

That he will follow me because he will know--

He will stay outside of my work.

He know where I work and he will follow me...

no matter what.

And he can have any kind of sex anywhere, anyhow,

no matter what.

That's what he told me.

Lorena: It was a nightmare.

I was ashamed, I was scared.

I couldn't even talk to anybody

because it was just embarrassing

and painful.

♪♪♪

I felt that I'm living in hell.

I felt a sense of peace when he wasn't at home.

♪♪♪

I mean, I--I liked that-- so at least for that part,

I wasn't abused.

And then everything start all over again.

♪♪♪

It's like, he didn't let go of me.

♪♪♪

I was suffering from anxiety.

I couldn't eat anything. Anything that I will eat,

I will just throw up.

I couldn't even sleep.

My health was deteriorating.

♪♪♪

Woman: Lorena Bobbitt

is one of the more celebrated battered women,

but we never hear about the countless

other victims-- and there are lots of them.

Studies show male partners are responsible

for 4 million assaults on women a year.

Melissa Jeltsen: In 1993, when this happened,

over 2,000 women were killed by their intimate partners.

We didn't have a national hotline

for domestic violence victims.

We didn't have federal funding for shelters.

So, you know, for desperate women

who were stuck in these situations,

we see them, you know, taking desperate measures.

In some cases, the women fight back.

Some even kill their batterers.

And when they do, what should happen?

[siren wailing]

Man: The standard of the law is clear.

To claim self-defense, you have to be in imminent danger,

under attack, literally fighting for your life.

[woman cries out]

- Woman 1: Squeeze my hand. - Woman 2: Squeeze Suzy's hand.

Man: But a new legal standard

called the battered woman syndrome

is forcing Americans to redefine self-defense.

Experts liken it to post-traumatic stress disorder.

A heightened sense of fear, a sense of isolation

from other people, a feeling of powerlessness

and helplessness that her own actions

do not have much of an effect.

Um, lowered self-esteem.

Woman: Scared for my life. I still am.

Even though they knew he had detained me,

even though I told 'em he threw me up against a refrigerator,

even though I told 'em that he had threatened to kill me,

they said there was nothing they can do.

I don't have enough evidence

to make any charges at this time.

♪♪♪

If you smack your wife the first time

and get away with it,

it's easier to punch her the second time.

It's easier to stab her the third time.

And it's easier to kill her the fourth time.

♪♪♪

Evan Nelson: In criminal cases, self-defense is where you feel

like you are imminently about to be attacked.

But with battered women syndrome,

the idea is that we're stretching this.

That the imminence may be,

"He might come back to abuse me in a couple of days.

"Or a couple of weeks.

And that this is my time when I can respond."

And during the 1990s, there were a lot of cases

that tried to use battered women syndrome

as a defense in the courtroom.

Woman: In her mind, often,

she's also acting on all the previous acts,

and so it raises her level of fear

to the legal standard of self-defense.

♪♪♪

Alan Dershowitz: She didn't use the simple option--

get out.

Move. Do something.

You don't go to the kitchen, pick up a knife,

and mutilate your husband.

That's the last recourse, not the first recourse.

So many people think they know what they would do

if something happened.

♪♪♪

"If my husband ever raised a hand to me,

I'd be out of there immediately." Right?

I've heard so-- countless women say that,

but the reality is that you don't know

what you'd do if somebody you loved

raised a hand to you.

Man: Some women stay in abusive relationships

because they see no way out.

It is not at all uncommon for batterers to threaten,

um, the battered woman,

that if she tries to leave the relationship,

that they will come and find her

and she will suffer further harm.

Woman: Women are a lot more vulnerable once they do leave.

He's more likely to kill her after she leaves him.

♪♪♪

Jeltsen: We know so much now about what happens

in abusive relationships, in the lead-up to a homicide.

We know that most women are killed,

either in the process of leaving their partner,

or in the six months at-- directly afterward.

So that's a really volatile time and the reason why we have

restraining orders, so that women can be protected

while they're trying to leave.

So, it makes complete sense that that was something

Lorena Bobbitt was trying to do at the time.

I think it was in the morning, sir.

♪♪♪

No, he told me to come back three or four hours later--

or Wednesday, 'cause his secretary

wasn't at lunchtime or something.

Yes. Yes.

♪♪♪

Howard: They were staying in the same household,

but she had announced that she was moving out.

She'd moved some of her stuff to a next-door-neighbor's house.

And she essentially said,

"I was sleeping there, but that was it."

♪♪♪

Diana Fletcher: She had brought her stuff to my apartment.

[sighs] I don't remember what we talked about.

I know we talked about him.

Lowe: As I understand it, during this last week or so,

before this incident, Lorena reported to you

that she intended to leave John.

Diana: She told me that Sunday night.

Lowe: She told you that he'd been raping her?

Yeah, that he had raped her and beat her.

Lowe: Did she also tell you,

uh, that she was tired of the abuse?

- Yes. - Lowe: Did she also tell you

that her husband would track her down

or--had threatened to track her down,

whatever she did?

He said he-- he always came and found her

when she left him.

Lowe: She did not appear to you

to be either vengeful or mad, did she?

No.

Diana: I feel I didn't do enough to help her.

I really do.

But I don't--you know, I don't know what else I could've done.

You can't make somebody leave their husband

if they don't want to leave.

I know she--you get to a breaking point.

Anybody's gonna break-- to a point,

if they're--endure that much aggression, or abuse,

or whatever it is.

Anybody. Her, you, him. Whoever.

There's no question that this guy tormented this lady.

I mean, just-- the conversations, you know,

people kinda sharing stories of what they saw with you--

you know, there was a reason it went down like that.

♪♪♪

Diana: I told her, you know, there are places you can go.

But she went back home.

And I think it was the next night that she did it.

- It was a Wednesday. - Was it?

- Yes, it was. - I don't remember. [chuckles]

Tuesday night, Wednesday morning--

something like that.

♪♪♪

Lorena: June 22, 1993 was--

I remember summer-- summertime.

♪♪♪

I went to work. I was working.

I was working fine.

[phone ringing]

He called me at work

asking what time I was supposed to be home.

And I told him. I said, "I'm working,

and I'm working until late at night."

I was working until 8:00.

♪♪♪

Lowe: Why did you stay in the apartment that night?

Couldn't you have gone and stayed with Janna,

or Mrs. Castro, or something like that?

No, I didn't want my friends to know...

that he was... hitting me again.

♪♪♪

Lorena: He has his-- his friend living with us--

Robert Johnston.

So I said, to Robbie, you know,

"Well, let's go out and hang--

you know, go out for a little while."

So, we went and hung out and--to a few clubs and--

we had what-- what's called a B-52.

It's a three-layered shot. It's a candy drink.

There's not-- not a lot of alcohol.

So we had two-- two of those,

and two beers-- all night long.

That's it.

We weren't drunk 'cause we didn't wanna drive drunk.

♪♪♪

Paul Ebert: In total, how much would you say

you had to drink on this occasion?

I had, uh, five beers and that one, uh, the B-52.

Ebert: And how much did John have to drink?

John had the same amount as me except he had one more,

uh, B-52.

Ebert: Now, sir, were you feeling, uh,

the influence of what you had to drink?

Uh, sure.

Ebert: But nevertheless, you drove, is that correct?

Yes.

♪♪♪

Ebert: What time was it when you arrived home?

We arrived home about 3:00, 3:15.

♪♪♪

Lorena: I--I was awake by a-- by, um, the strong closing--

uh, the slammed door.

Lowe: Did you go back to sleep?

Yes.

Got into bed and then just fell right to sleep.

- Ebert: You fell asleep? - Fell asleep.

♪♪♪

John: I woke up about an hour later

and I saw Lorena laying on her back.

And, uh--and then I remember, you know, it's--

you know, touching her and-- and then I remember,

like, you know, rolling over on top of her.

And then I just went-- fell back--back off to sleep.

And, uh, I don't remember anything el-else happening

after that until-- I was just laying on my back.

Ebert: Did you or did you not have sex with her that night?

Well, um, I--I don't really know, sir,

if I did or not.

♪♪♪

Lowe: What's the next thing that you're aware of?

I felt like a pull down to my underwears.

And then, he was on top of me.

Again.

And-- And I wake up, I was like, um...

try to what was--try to find out what was going on.

And, uh, he grabbed my wrist...

and press it down to my hips.

And, uh--then he, uh, I felt like I couldn't breathe

and--and he was-- his chest and his right shoulder

was on my face-- my--my mouth.

And then he, uh-- I asked him,

"What are you doing?" And he didn't say anything.

I said--I said, "I don't want to have sex."

And then, he wouldn't listen to me.

He wouldn't let me--let me go.

He pulled my--my underwears down and...

he, um-- he forced himself into me.

Again.

I was just crying-- trying to cry loud,

but I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't breathe.

Lowe: What happened next?

He was hurting me.

[crying] He hurt me.

Yeah.

Yeah, I-- He was hurting me.

I feel like-- I don't know,

like my vagina was ripping up or something.

I couldn't say this.

I can't describe-- maybe you don't understand

because you're a man.

He didn't understand because he's a man,

but it hurt me.

[sobbing]

And I told him-- why he do this to me

again and again and again?

Lowe: And what did he say to you?

Nothing. He pushed me away 'cause he doesn't care.

He doesn't care about my feelings.

That's what he said.

She was trying to talk to me when I was sleeping.

"You hurt my feelings. You did it again and again and again.

Are you happy?"

She was trying to talk to me.

So I didn't respond to her sexually and verbally

because I was exhausted.

I don't know why she didn't know that I--I--I was... so...

so dead tired, I couldn't understand or react

to any of her advances.

♪♪♪

Lorena: Then I was just-- fall into this numbness

that I felt before.

Part of me wanted to, you know, say,

"Just--just kill me here, whatever...

I'm just gonna die."

♪♪♪

All I wanted to do was just get away from him.

♪♪♪

I don't quite remember how I got out of my bed or nothing,

it was just like a zombie.

[crying]

I just tried to calm myself down.

I went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

♪♪♪

I was drinking the water, trying to calm myself down and...

I remember many things and I remember a lot of things.

And I remember the first time he raped me,

I remember when--when he told me about the syringes

that go through my bones and I was gonna die.

And I remember the put-downs, that he told me

there were just so many pictures in my head.

I remember the insults and the bad words he told me.

And I remember every time that he--he had anal sex--

anal sex with me-- he hurt me.

I remember everything.

Everything.

No, I don't remember that.

No, I'm sorry, I don't remember that.

Mary Grace O'Brien: Judge, I would object at this point.

He's leading the witness.

Judge: Sustained. No leading questions.

♪♪♪

Lorena: The next thing I remember

was that I was in the car.

I just felt like it was, like, in a very slow motion.

♪♪♪

I--I would never really quite understand

what was happening-- whatever I did.

Obviously, it was me.

I was the one that did cut him.

♪♪♪

I try to drive.

In one hand I have the knife and in the other hand I have...

his organ.

And the first thing-- I got scared.

And I tossed it through the window.

I have no idea how I got to-- I--I went to work.

I went to work in the middle of the night.

♪♪♪

I find myself try to open the door.

But I just couldn't open it

because I still have the knife in my hand.

And I just--so screaming in the middle of the night

and then I said, "Well, I didn't even--"

I didn't understand what happened.

So I throw the knife away.

♪♪♪

I opened the door, and I just felt peace.

All I wanted to do was just be safe.

♪♪♪

O'Brien: Mrs. Bobbitt, is it your testimony this morning

that you don't remember cutting your husband's penis off

on June the 23rd?

No, ma'am.

O'Brien: You say you remember picking up the knife?

Yeah.

O'Brien: What were you thinking when you picked up the knife?

Did you think about cutting John?

Lorena: [crying] No. No, I didn't.

I just think of the pictures.

O'Brien: You don't remember

leaving your apartment that night?

No.

O'Brien: You don't remember picking up your purse

and Robbie's Game Boy?

That's what I--I assume so. I had to answer to myself.

I--I have to answer to myself what I did.

O'Brien: You don't remember it?

No, ma'am, I--I-- No, I don't remember that. No.

Clay Cocalis: I remember very vividly, she said,

"I went to the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator.

The refrigerator light illuminated a knife."

So that's pretty good recall.

And then to say you have no memory of it,

that didn't seem very credible

that she would not remember that.

♪♪♪

O'Brien: Then you went to the hospital,

and you saw Detective Weintz.

Lorena: Yes, ma'am.

O'Brien: And then he turned on the tape recorder.

And he asked you questions and you answered the questions.

Lorena: Yes, ma'am.

♪♪♪

O'Brien: Do you remember saying to him...

I remember. Yes, ma'am.

O'Brien: And then you said,

"Then I took it...

Do you remember saying that?

Yes, ma'am.

O'Brien: And that was the truth too?

Yes, ma'am, it was the truth.

Cocalis: They passed that knife and the pictures around

and for the benefit, I will tell you that

she might've thought about going to medical school

because that was such an amazing cut.

There was no bump, there was no nub.

It was surgical in nature.

Lisa Kemler: Do you have an opinion, Dr. Feister,

as to whether or not Lorena Bobbitt was suffering

from any severe mental disease or disorder

at the time that she cut off her husband's penis?

Yes. She suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder,

major depressive disorder,

and anxiety disorder that is panic disorder.

Kemler: And what, if anything, in your opinion,

did those disorders have to do

with her ability to control her impulses?

I don't believe that she had control over her, um, actions

at that point in time.

She was already experiencing severe distress.

Her husband psychologically closed off

every avenue of escape for her.

He said to her that it didn't really matter if she left

because he would continue to be violent toward her,

and rape her, and abuse her.

This created, for her, an impasse.

Uh, a situation that made her crazy.

She became psychotic. And at that point in time,

she attacked the instrument of her torture--

that is her husband's penis.

Kemler: Do you have an opinion as to whether or not

that was consistent with irresistible impulse

as defined in the-- Virginia law.

I believe her behavior was consistent

with the irresistible impulse.

To have an irresistible impulse defense for insanity,

first, the person has to have

an identifiable mental illness or disorder.

And because of the mental disorder,

they are incapable of stopping themselves.

Dr. Nelson: When she gets to the emergency room,

she gives us a very succinct explanation.

"I was angry."

Here she was, getting more powerful

and preparing to leave.

And here he was trying to make it more difficult.

When Mr. Bobbitt did what she perceived as a rape,

that was a challenge to her sense of control.

And I believe that she got intensely angry.

Lorena Bobbitt could have walked away.

She could've walked right out of that apartment

and straight down to the police department.

She could've called 9-1-1, but she didn't.

She pauses to get a knife and go back and cut him.

From my perspective, I couldn't say that this was insanity.

This lady was terribly emotionally aroused, excited,

angry or enraged,

but I see no evidence of a psychotic episode.

♪♪♪

Man: As a psychiatrist

for the Commonwealth of Virginia testified,

she doesn't have any type of psychotic disorder

that causes that kind of impulse.

How do you know that? How do you know she doesn't?

What kind of psychotic disorder does it take

when you're abused over four years?

None of the traditional symptoms

of an impulse disorder are here, Bob.

I think I basically feel that she was lying.

I'm disconcerted by the idea

that she so palpably changed her story.

And she changed it to meet the requirements of the law.

Charlie Rose: When did she lie?

She lied when she testified that she forgot

about everything that had happened that night.

The devil didn't make her do this.

Um, she did it herself,

and now she'll have to pay the consequences.

- Howard Stern: Hey, John Wayne. - John: Yeah.

Stern: I got the whole thing figured out

after watching your wife's testimony.

- John: Hmm. - Stern: She just wanted

to hold on to you. - John: Yeah. She did.

And she got mad.

I broke up with her. She was hurting.

And she wanted me to hurt and that's why she did that.

Stern: I don't even buy this whole thing

that he was raping her and stuff.

Like, she didn't--you know, she's not that great looking.

She's got a lot of pimples, your ex-wife.

- John: Yeah. - Stern: I thought so.

Her skin didn't look that good.

- John: Uh-huh. - Stern: I think she needs

a little vitamin Bobbitt.

Robin Quivers: Oh, jeez.

[ laughter ]

♪♪♪

[indistinct chatter]

Judge: You may have a seat if you would, please,

ladies and gentlemen.

Call your next witness, sir.

Howard: Yes, Your Honor. [indistinct]

Regina Keegan, Your Honor.

My name is Regina E. Keegan,

and I live in Centreville, Virginia.

Howard: Directing your attention to the month of June, 1993,

did you have an occasion to visit the Nail Sculpture

here in, uh, the Centreville? - Yes, sir, I did.

I was going to get my nails manicured and my eyebrows waxed.

Howard: Do you know the person that did that work?

Yes, she's sitting at the table there, sir.

Howard: Was there anything about what she did to your nails

that you felt was incorrect?

Um, the manicure was very bad.

And, um...

my eyebrows were uneven.

That testimony was extremely important, I thought,

to show that Lorena suffered

from post-traumatic stress disorder.

- Howard: ...identify. - Yes, sir.

Howard: She saw Lorena just days before the incident.

♪♪♪

Keegan: When I made the appointment,

the lady said, "Okay, you'll meet with--"

I thought she said "Lena." And I think I wrote down "Lena"

on my little day planner.

And I'm fairly sure that I probably called her Lena

and she did not correct me.

She's too polite.

So we sat down and, um, she pulled up her sleeves.

And she was black and blue from here to here.

Like bruises.

And it--and it wasn't like just a hit.

They went around. And I went...

[gasps]

And she very quickly did this thing.

And she just looked up and...

my heart broke.

I just knew something was wrong with this girl.

Howard: During the course of her doing any work on you,

did you notice some change in her demeanor or behavior?

Keegan: Yes, sir. Her breathing changed.

Like she was short of breath.

And her hands were trembling,

and she had tears in her eyes.

I said, "How did you get those bruises on your arms?"

And she looked at me and she said, "My husband hurt me."

That's how he liked to grab her...

was by her wrists.

And she said to me, "In our apartment,

"he was going to drop me over the railing.

"And he said to me,

If I drop you, I'm just gonna tell everybody you jumped."

I told her she needed to leave the situation that she was in.

I told her about places she could go,

people that could help her.

And as I said that, she became more and more frightened

in--in appearance.

She was trembling and shaking.

Um, to me, she appeared terrified.

And I said to her, "You can't go home to this guy.

I will take you to my house."

And she said, "No. My husband says if I leave him,

"he will kill me, and he'll kill you.

He'll come after you and he'll kill you."

And I gave her a hug.

It was like hugging my daughter.

I mean, that's how small she was.

And I didn't want to leave her

because I was really afraid for her.

♪♪♪

I remember my girlfriend, soon thereafter,

talking about "the crazy lady with the knife."

The Bobbitt thing was big news and it was everywhere.

I was a busy mom. I didn't read the newspapers.

I didn't watch television.

♪♪♪

The summer went. Kind of avoided it.

♪♪♪

Man: Washington, D.C. This is the news.

Woman: John Bobbitt takes the witness stand...

Keegan: I was sitting there one day.

Kids were out of the house.

I was folding socks, looking at the television.

And they're showing footage from the Manassas courthouse.

The testimony is over and the evidence is in tonight

in the marital sexual assault trial of John Bobbitt.

On day two of the trial...

Keegan: They were talking about his trial.

And I see "Lena"... walk across the screen.

♪♪♪

And I went, "Oh, my God.

"Oh, my God.

"That's the girl.

And what do I do?"

Man: Prosecutor Paul Ebert

argued that something sexual happened

that drove her over the edge.

She struck out...

[audio fades]

Keegan: I called the Prince William courthouse.

So I got on the phone with the first lady.

And then, there was a man's voice on the phone.

- Paul Ebert: Hello. - Keegan: And he said,

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Keegan. My name is Paul Ebert."

So I told him the story.

And he said, "Son of a bitch. If I had had this,

I could've nailed that bastard."

I said, "Excuse me?"

He said, "Oh, I'm--I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Mrs. Keegan.

"I can't use you. I wish I had you for this trial,

"but it's gone to the jury.

"And I'm gonna give you a phone number.

"And I want you to call this phone number.

It belongs to Mr. Blair Howard."

[phone ringing]

And the number he gave me was the back line.

The woman that answered the phone said,

"How did you get this number?"

"Paul Ebert gave it to me."

She just said, "Would you please hold on?"

♪♪♪

He could've buried me. He could've just said,

"Goodbye, Mrs. Keegan. Thank you for calling."

♪♪♪

He was the one that said, "You can't help me,

"but you can help Lorena.

And you call Mr. Howard."

Howard: That's all I have, ma'am.

Keegan: When I had finished testifying,

Mr. Ebert and I looked at each other,

and we kinda locked eyes.

And in that moment, he decided,

"I'm not even gonna touch her."

Judge: Do we excuse this witness?

- Ebert: Yes, Your Honor. - Judge: Thank you.

Thanks for your time and your testimony.

Thank you.

Judge: Next witness.

♪♪♪

I agree. [ laughs ]

Man: You wanna talk about that?

Well, that's--I agree with you, but Mr. Ebert's better suited

to--to address that than I am.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

Ebert: Dr. Ryans.

And, uh...

Ebert: You, personally, you changed your opinion

after this trial started.

Yes.

Keegan: He told that psychiatrist to call me.

I know he did because the psychiatrist said,

"Mr. Ebert told me to call you

"and speak with you. I have a few questions

and you would be the best one to answer them."

Mrs. Keegan, uh, asked her, "Why don't you leave?"

She says, "I'm his wife, he'll kill me."

She said, uh, she was crumbling.

At one time, she was happy and cheerful,

but then she seemed sad and overwhelmed,

hopeless, shaking, crying, trembling."

Uh, she gave symptoms which were compatible with the diagnosis

of post-traumatic stress disorder.

♪♪♪

Curt Gergely: Initially, all the state psychiatrists

were in agreement.

They thought that she was of sound mind

and had her full faculties when this had happened,

and that it was a matter of spite, anger.

The pivotal point for me

was when the state's forensic psychiatrist

changed his testimony...

Yes, sir.

Gergely: ...and said that she was not in control

of her faculties.

Judge: Doctor, thank you for your time and your testimony.

You are excused, you may go.

Dr. Ryans: Thank you.

Cocalis: I think they did a really good job

of portraying her as the victim.

You felt sorry for the woman.

But, was she, by the definition of the Commonwealth of Virginia,

was she criminally insane at the moment?

I think--I think she-- she unequivocally knew

exactly what she was doing.

♪♪♪

Lorena: During the trial, I was thinking,

my life is gonna be over.

My American dream was gonna be shattered.

Jail, you know. It's gonna be jail.

I'm gonna be--that's all-- that's the only thing

that I would thought.

I was just praying to God that all the evidence were,

you know, in place.

John Holliman: The trial has now gone into recess.

When it resumes on Tuesday, the prosecution and defense

will begin their closing arguments.

That'll be their last chance to convince this jury

of seven women and five men that Lorena Bobbitt

is either guilty or innocent.

John Holliman, CNN, Manassas, Virginia.

♪♪♪

Lorena: My attorneys--

I just had to basically depend on--on what

they were gonna say, and hopefully, save my life.

♪♪♪

O'Brien: Ladies and gentlemen,

this is a case about anger.

It's a case about revenge.

And it's a case about retribution.

It is the commonwealth's contention that what it is

is a calculated and malicious act of revenge.

Is this a deadly weapon? You bet.

This is a deadly weapon. This is what she used.

Howard: I heard a lady say one time,

that a woman's body is her home.

That her body is the most intimate contact

that she has with her soul.

To rape a woman

is not only a violation of the body,

but it's also a ravishment of her soul.

It is in a direct attack on the emotional structure

that holds a woman together.

If you believe that that's what that woman felt,

when she went into that room and did that act,

the verdict is "not guilty."

You heard a lot of talk about psychotic behavior,

post-traumatic stress disorder,

battered women, other psychological jargon,

but if there's no irresistible impulse,

there's no insanity.

Her husband came home, he was drunk,

he wanted to have sex, she didn't--

that's her right.

He forced her to have sex. She was angry.

And she retaliated against him.

Physical abuse, sexual abuse, forced abuse, anal abuse--

this girl was crumbling, she was falling apart.

She snapped.

She did not have the wherewithal

at that moment.

I-- You know, to me, this is so obvious.

It's got to be obvious to you.

When you're in this unhealthy state of mind,

can there be any question?

She could not control her impulsive act.

O'Brien: Ladies and gentlemen, what she did cannot be excused,

it cannot be condoned, and it cannot be justified.

I ask you to find her guilty of malicious wounding.

Howard: This lady is ill.

And every doctor has told you that.

This lady has been stripped of all dignity,

of all self-confidence.

She needs a lot of help.

She needs your help.

By your verdict, you can restore

a little bit of self-respect

so she can walk out of this courtroom

with her head up.

I know you're gonna do the right thing.

And that's because justice, ladies and gentlemen,

is for all.

For the weak as well as the strong.

Thank you.

Judge: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury

you have heard the evidence in this matter.

At this time, you may go with the bailiff.

You'll be brought all the exhibits

that were placed into evidence.

Then you can start with your deliberations.

♪♪♪

[door slams]

I would not be taking out any long-term leases

if I were Lorena Bobbitt right now.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

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