Woman Bit Off Husband's Tongue During Kiss
This gal isn't exactly Lorena Bobbitt, but she's close.
Police are still scratching their heads over the case of a Sheboygan, Wisconsin woman who bit off her husband's tongue during what must have been a very, very unromantic kiss. Karen Lueders is in jail and facing the unusual charge of mayhem.
Lueders, 57, attacked her husband, Willard Lueders on the evening of Dec. 6, during what the police now believe to be a manic phase, reports the Sheboygan Press. When Mr. Lueders bent over to kiss his wife she responded by biting off his tongue and grabbing his genitals. When Mr. Lueders tried to call 911, the operator could not understand him for obvious reasons, but quickly realized an ambulance was necessary.
When police arrived, Mr. Lueders signaled and his wife confirmed she had bitten off his tongue. Of course, that was after Mrs. L greeted officers by tossing coffee at them and singing Christmas carols.
Mr. Lueders was sent to Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Wauwatosa, where doctors worked to reattach the tongue, reports the Press.
As you no doubt have concluded, Mrs. Lueders is probably in need of psychiatric treatment. During her court appearance before Judge L. Edward Stengel, the judge reached the same conclusion, and ordered she undergo a mental health evaluation.
District Attorney Joe DeCecco confirmed for the Press that he doesn't remember a mayhem charge being filed in Sheboygan County during his 21 years as a prosecutor. His office's database goes back only to 2005, but no mayhem charges were filed in that span either. The charge describes the act of willful and permanent crippling, mutilation, or disfigurement of any part of another's body. It's exceedingly rare, in part because it is usually included in most states' laws against felony or aggravated assault.
Other cases of mayhem of note include a defendant taking a bite out of the victim's nose. Rare, but not unheard of.
Karen Lueders will be in an area of the local jail that will allow her protective isolation, reports the Press.
Related Resources:
- Cops: Wife bites off husband's tongue during kiss (MSNBC)
- Aggravated Assault (FindLaw)
- Shark Attack! Lawyer Allegedly Bit Nose Off Man, Gets Sued (FindLaw's Legally Weird)