Prosecutors say parents argued before mutilation

Katherine Nadal listens to opening statements Monday as she stands trial for allegedly mutilating her 5-week-old son in her apartment in 2007. Katherine Nadal listens to opening statements Monday as she stands trial for allegedly mutilating her 5-week-old son in her apartment in 2007. Photo: Nick De La Torre, Chronicle Photo: Nick De La Torre, Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Prosecutors say parents argued before mutilation 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A Houston couple argued over whether to have their 5-week-old infant circumcised the day before his mother cut off the boy's penis and testicles, leaving a perfectly square wound and a childhood of reconstructive surgeries, prosecutors told a jury Monday.

“Now he's more than circumcised,” Assistant District Attorney Denise Oncken said.

Oncken said Katherine Nadal, 28, argued for the circumcision after spending the afternoon injecting cocaine. Camden Gothia, 38, testified that he argued against it because of the pain it appears to cause.

Earlier Monday, prosecutors told jurors that Nadal completely severed the baby's genitals on March 13, 2007, then dispassionately watched neighbors, paramedics and surgeons work to save the boy's life. None of the child's parts was recovered.

Nadal is charged with injury to a child, causing serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. She remains in jail in lieu of $75,000 bail.

Defense claims

Defense attorneys Skip Cornelius and Allen Isbell said they will present expert testimony that the wound could have been caused by a 7-pound mini-dachshund, as Nadal told investigators.

Oncken told jurors that Nadal injected cocaine the day before the incident, argued with Gothia, then assaulted the child the next morning. The day after the attack, Nadal tested positive for cocaine, methadone and a mild tranquilizer, Oncken said.

Nadal has been arrested twice on drug-related charges that later were dismissed.

On Monday, tears rolled down Nadal's cheeks as her attorneys showed pictures of the baby's crib and belongings while cross-examining Gothia. The father also was emotional, wiping tears from his eyes as he described what happened to his son, then lashed out at Nadal's lawyers who were trying to pin down what time he left their apartment for work.

“My whole world fell apart that day,” Gothia said. “I don't remember every minute of what happened that day.”

After Gothia testified, witnesses included an apartment maintenance man, who heard the baby crying, and a 911 call records custodian, who authenticated the 911 call to authorities.

Neighbors testify

Jurors also heard from Edward and Rita Vega, neighbors who were the first to learn from Nadal that something was wrong with the baby.

Edward Vega, an Air Force veteran who went to Vietnam as a combat photographer, cried as he described the baby being “hurt real bad.”

“He was real pale, turning bluish,” Vega said. “There was movement. He wasn't crying.”

Oncken said jurors would hear from doctors that the boy lost half his blood. She said an adult with those sorts of injuries and blood loss would not have survived.

The trial in state District Judge Denise Collins' court could last more than a week.

brian.rogers@chron.com