California woman accused of slicing off husband's penis

Catherine Kieu Becker in a police mugshot taken July 11, 2011.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California woman has been arrested over accusations she drugged her estranged husband, cut off his penis and ground it up in a garbage disposal before alerting police, authorities said on Tuesday.

Catherine Kieu Becker, 48, was taken into custody on Monday night after telling officers who found her husband tied to the bed and bleeding from his groin that he had "deserved it", Garden Grove Police Lt. Jeff Nightengale said in a written statement.

Becker is accused of drugging her husband's food to make him sleepy, slicing off his penis with a knife, tossing it into the garbage disposal and turning the unit on, Nightengale said. She then called 911, he added.

Becker's 51-year-old husband, who was not identified by police, told detectives he laid down on the bed, believing something was wrong with his food, Nightengale said.

He later woke up to find himself tied to the bed with his wife tugging at his clothes before she grabbed his penis and cut it off, Nightengale said the man had reported.

Becker was arrested on suspicion of aggravated mayhem, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, administering a drug with intent to commit a felony, poisoning and spousal abuse and booked into Orange County jail.

Her husband was taken to a local hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and was listed in serious condition.

Nightengale said the couple was apparently married but going through a divorce.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb, Editing by Cynthia Johnston)