7.1: Mayhem

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Page ID: 69927

George Cartwright
Madera Community College

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The crime of mayhem is defined in section 205 of the California Penal Code.

A person is guilty of aggravated mayhem when he or she unlawfully, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the physical or psychological well-being of another person, intentionally causes permanent disability or disfigurement of another human being or deprives a human being of a limb, organ, or member of his or her body. For purposes of this section, it is not necessary to prove an intent to kill. Aggravated mayhem is a felony punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for life with the possibility of parole.⁴⁹

The Story of Bertha Boronda

Bertha Boronda (March 14, 1877 – January 18, 1950) was an American woman who sliced off her husband's penis in 1907. She was convicted of the crime of mayhem; she used a straight razor to cut off her husband's penis. She fled the scene of the crime but was captured the next day. Boronda was tried, convicted and imprisoned at San Quentin Penitentiary.

The victim was Bertha Boronda's husband, Frank Boronda: Captain of Chemical Engine No. 1 with the San Jose Fire Department. On Friday, May 30, 1907, Bertha insisted that her husband Frank had visited a place of prostitution. Shortly after midnight, she cut her husband's penis off ith a razor while in bed. He was able to go to the firehouse, which was adjacent to his home, and received treatment in a hospital.

She was apprehended while disguised, wearing men's clothing, and mounting a bicycle to make her escape. She was not found by the police until more than 24 hours had passed. After her capture, Boronda admitted her crime and expressed no regret. The newspaper reports were tactfully non-specific. "'She drew a razor and cut her husband.' Then she walked to her nephew's room and simply stated, 'Frank cut himself.'"

On June 1, Frank Boronda made a complaint to Justice Brown from his hospital bed at the Red Cross Hospital. Boronda was accused of mayhem. The felony of mayhem, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Boronda was held on $10,000 bond - $291,819.15 in 2021 dollars. Mr. Boronda testified at the trial that he and his wife had visited the San Jose theater, and that the attack was unprovoked. He claimed that she was amorous and had invited him to her bed before the attack. The prosecution's theory was that this was a deliberate planned attack in furtherance of a jealous rage.

Boronda had several defenses, the chief among them being her complete lack of any recollection of the night in question. She claimed she became enraged at her husband, and the two had an argument because she thought he was going to leave her. She admitted that she maimed him but expressed no regret. As reported in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, "Her only excuse is that she wanted to be revenged on Boronda, whom she believed intended deserting her and leaving for Mexico." Another defense was that Mr. Boronda had made "a vile request."

At the trial she settled on a defense of "emotional insanity" from extreme jealousy. She took the stand in her defense and explained why she dressed like a man when she fled after the incident. She stated that her husband had been gone for two weeks; and she often wore her brother's clothing when she spied on her husband.

The jury deliberated two hours before convicting her. Boronda was sentenced to five years in prison, but served only two and was released from prison on December 20, 1909. In the aftermath of the incident, Bertha and Frank Boronda divorced. Both Frank and Bertha later remarried.⁵⁰

⁴⁹California Penal Code (2024)

⁵⁰Wikipedia

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