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The Sensational Arrest Of Bertha Boronda After An Unfortunate Incident With Her Husband’s Penis
More than a century ago, a California woman made headlines due to a brutal act of violence she committed against her estranged husband
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, goes the whole adage advising against crossing a member of the fairer sex. That certainly seemed to be the case with a California woman from more than a century ago named Bertha Boronda made national headlines following her arrest and conviction for mayhem after cutting off her husband’s penis with a straight razor in an act of revenge.
Born in 1877 as Bertha Zettle to German immigrant parents in Minnesota, the future fugitive ultimately came to live in San Jose, California and marry Frank Borondo, a Captain in the community Fire Department. The couple led a relatively quiet life until their relationship and a subsequent bloody incident was splashed in papers all over the country
On the evening of May 30th, 1907, Bertha became convinced that her husband was going to leave her. They had been apart for two weeks following a dispute before finally meeting up. Frank later claimed that night his wife had actually acted seductively and invited him to bed. It was only then that she…
