Arraignment was postponed and bail set at $1 million Friday for a woman accused of cutting off her estranged husband's penis and throwing it in a garbage disposal
Catherine Kieu, 48, is charged with torture and aggravated mayhem. She also faces sentencing enhancement allegations of inflicting great bodily harm and use of a dangerous or deadly weapon.
An Orange County Superior Court judge rescheduled Friday's arraignment to Sept. 23.
Kieu could be sentenced to life in prison without parole if convicted, according to prosecutors.
She made her first court appearance July 13, but did not enter a plea.
Kieu has been held without bail since her arrest July 11. She allegedly cut off her 60-year-old husband's penis after the two had an argument about friends staying at his Garden Grove residence.
The man told police that he did not feel well after eating a meal that Kieu had prepared for him. He went to lie down. When he awoke, he found his arms and legs were bound to each corner of the bed. Kieu pulled off his pants and used a 10-inch kitchen knife to remove the penis, according to authorities.
She then threw the penis in a garbage disposal and turned on the disposal, police said.
Police believe Kieu served her husband tofu soup that was poisoned, according to the Los Angeles Times. The evidence has been sent to a laboratory to try and determine what kind of poison was used.
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Police said the husband started divorce proceedings about six months ago, but agreed to allow Kieu to stay at his residence because she had nowhere else to go.
Kieu's attorney, Frank Bittar, declined to comment on the allegations except to say "there's a lot more to the case" than meets the eye.
