Where this was said
A Marriage Under Pressure: Early Cracks
At 11:30 · chapter starts 10:20
The courtship moved quickly — perhaps too quickly. John later claimed that both Lorena and his mother pressured him into marriage as her student visa was about to expire, describing his decision in the least romantic terms possible: 'Had to bite the bullet, I guess. Get married.' Lorena completely denies this account, saying he proposed freely. Regardless, they married on June 18, 1989, when she was 20 and he was 22. At first the marriage was everything Lorena had hoped for, but within just one month she said John's attitude changed dramatically — he became demanding and cruel, mocking her mistakes and threatening to have her deported when she displeased him. Ash and Alaina pause on the deportation threat, noting it adds an entirely new dimension of power and control to the abuse allegations.
In the four years following their wedding, Manassas police responded to the Bobbitt home multiple times for domestic violence. Lorena's coworkers noticed bruises on her arms and neck. She stole $7,200 from the nail salon trying to save the marriage. John insisted she have an abortion. This was the trajectory of their relationship long before the knife.
