Brenda Barattini was 26 years old, an architect, and had spent two months planning what she would do that night.
On November 25, 2017, in Córdoba, Argentina, she brought her lover, Sergio F., 42, to her home. In the middle of their intimate encounter, she suggested he put on a gray blindfold that completely blocked his vision. Then she took out pruning shears hidden under the bed and severed his penis and part of his testicles. According to prosecutor Laura Battistelli, “with him blindfolded and her ass in his face, she waited for him to get an erection and cut him”.
Neighbors who heard the screams rescued him. The injury was described as a complete traumatic transection of the urethra and left corpus cavernosum; doctors reconstructed his genitourinary system, and he recovered, although he continues to suffer psychological effects.
Barattini initially claimed self-defense against a rape. Later, she changed her account and said she attacked him because he had shared an intimate video. But her internet history showed searches such as “how to sever the male member” and “woman cuts off penis”, made months before the attack. The jury didn’t believe her and sentenced her to 13 years for attempted homicide. Her lawyer maintained that she had never intended to kill him. She said she never wanted to kill anyone.