Bertha Boronda

Bertha Boronda (née Zettle; March 14, 1877 – January 18, 1950) was an American woman who sliced off her husband's penis with a straight razor in 1907.efn-ua|The exact extent of the injury is disputed and controversial. Some suggest there was a cut; others say a removal. Cf., Shortly after midnight, she cut her husband's penis off with a razor while in bed. After her capture, Boronda admitted her crime and expressed no regret.

The newspaper reports were tactfully non-specific. "'She drew a razor and cut her husband.' Then she walked to her nephew's room and simply stated, 'Frank cut himself.'"

On June 1, Frank Boronda made a complaint to Justice Brown from his hospital bed at the Red Cross Hospital. Boronda was accused of mayhem.

Trial Mr. Boronda testified at the trial that he and his wife had visited the San Jose theater, and that the attack was unprovoked. The prosecution's theory was that this was a deliberate planned attack in furtherance of a jealous rage. Another defense was that Mr. Boronda had made "a vile request."

Sentence The jury deliberated two hours before convicting her. Boronda was sentenced to five years in prison, but served only two and was released from prison on December 20, 1909.

Personal life Bertha Zettle was born in 1877 to German immigrants in Minnesota. She married Frank Boronda (born Mario Narcisso Boronda in 1863) in 1901. He was a Mexican American captain with the San Jose Fire Department.

In the aftermath of the incident, Bertha and Frank Boronda divorced. Both Frank and Bertha later remarried. Bertha married Alexander Patterson in 1921; however, the two eventually divorced.

Her remains are interred at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in San Jose, California.