Lorena

Acquitted of rape, John became a celebrity while Lorena stood trial, facing decades in prison. TV cameras recorded her ordeal as prosecutors attacked her relentlessly-a jealous shrew, a liar and thief. But though John proved a poor witness, and her lawyers demonstrated years of domestic abuse, it looked doubtful that they could prove she was legally insane the night she cut off his penis.

As Lorena’s trial resumed, all agreed she had been abused. But was she legally insane when she attacked John? Millions stayed glued to their TVs as her testimony reached the fateful night she lost all control. Her lawyers had to prove she was under the influence of an “irresistible impulse,” a defense that rarely worked. As momentum seemed to swing against her, a surprise witness took the stand.