Utah Man Stabbed Roommate’s Genitals with an Ice Pick

A Salt Lake City man has been charged with domestic violence, sexual assault, and kidnapping after hammering a nail through his roommate's penis with a tool resembling an ice pick.

Jason Dee Maughn, 45, reportedly held a shotgun to his unnamed roommate's head, proceeded to handcuff his roommate to a chair, and according to the probable cause statement, gave the victim the option to "either be taken to the desert to be killed or Maughn could drive a nail into [victim's] penis." If he moved or attempted to flee, Maughn said he would shoot him on the spot.

The victim chose the latter. Once Maughn freed him from his restraints the following day, the roommate sought treatment at a nearby hospital.

Maughn was arrested September 3 and is being held on a $250,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court today.

While not universal in every jurisdiction, many states, including Utah, claim domestic violence doesn't only occur between sexual partners. Domestic violence (or intimate partner violence), as defined by the National Domestic Hotline, is "a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship." In most states, roommates qualify as having an "intimate relationship," although perhaps not in the traditional sense.

While the status of the two men's relationship remains unclear, domestic violence between people of the same gender is a real issue. Studies show that gay/bi men are more likely to experience severe physical violence than their straight counterparts, including being beaten, burned or choked.

Bisexual women suffer from the highest rate of domestic and sexual violence among all sexual orientations. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence survey, nearly a half of bi women have experienced rape at some point in their lifetime. Approximately 75% of bi women in the U.S. report experiencing sexual violence, compared to 46% of lesbian women and 43% of heterosexual women.