Arraignment delayed in penis attack case

LOS ANGELES, July 22 (UPI) -- The arraignment of a California woman accused of cutting off her estranged husband's penis and running it through a garbage disposal has been postponed.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Debra Carrillo agreed to a continuance and set Sept. 23 as the next hearing for Catherine Kieu, 48, of Garden Grove, who is being held on $1 million bail, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

Kieu allegedly drugged her husband's dinner July 11 and then cut off his penis with a 10-inch kitchen knife after tying him to a bed, the newspaper said.

Police say they believe a strange-tasting tofu soup was poisoned and evidence has been sent to a laboratory in an effort to identify what kind of poison may have been used.

The couple were married in 2009 but the husband had filed for a divorce in May, citing "irreconcilable differences."

Kieu allegedly made a statement to police about her action that her husband "deserved it," the Times said.

The victim was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center where he underwent emergency surgery. He has since been discharged.