Woman accused of trying to cut off husband's penis with scissors

A 69-year-old Palm Springs woman was accused of attempting to cut off her husband’s penis with a pair of large scissors this weekend. Her effort failed, although the husband was treated for a non-life-threatening wound in the genital area and released from a local hospital, police said.

Virginia Valdez was charged with mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon and felony domestic violence in the alleged attack on Saturday evening, according to Palm Springs police. She was released on Sunday on $100,000 bond and faces a court hearing next month, they said.



Palm Springs Police Sgt. Kyle Stjerne said the couple had been married for 32 years and the cause of Saturday’s fight at their home in the 1700 block of Rochelle Road remains under investigation. “It was just a long-standing marital dispute, and we are not sure what caused her to do it,” he said.

The 62-year-old husband’s name was not released. Police recovered the scissors and will retain them as evidence. Stjerne described the scissors as resembling poultry shears. “They were more heavy duty than the standard office scissors,” he said.