A vicious criminal raped 15-year-old Mary Vincent, hacked off both her arms with a hatchet, and dumped her off a cliff—yet lenient California courts freed him after just eight years to kill again.
Story Snapshot
- In 1978, Lawrence Singleton brutally attacked hitchhiking teen Mary Vincent in California, severing her arms and leaving her for dead.
- Vincent miraculously survived by packing wounds with mud, crawling up a 30-foot cliff, and walking miles naked until rescued.
- Singleton served only eight years despite the savagery, then murdered Roxanne Hayes upon release.
- Vincent testified twice against him and became a victims’ rights advocate, living with prosthetic arms.
The Horrific Attack
On September 29, 1978, 15-year-old Mary Vincent hitchhiked near Berkeley, California. Lawrence Singleton, 50, offered her a ride in his van. He drove to a remote area, raped her, and bound her hands. Singleton then used a hatchet to sever both her forearms at the elbows. He threw her screaming off a 30-foot cliff, believing she would die from blood loss. Vincent landed in the ravine, determined to survive.
Victor’s Survival Miracle
Bleeding profusely, Vincent pressed her arm stumps into mud to stem the flow. She summoned strength to crawl up the steep embankment using her arms and teeth. Naked and in agony, she walked several miles along Highway 4 until a passing couple spotted her. They rushed her to a hospital where surgeons reattached her arms. Her vivid recollection of Singleton’s face and van led police straight to him within days.
Lenient Sentence Sparks Outrage
Singleton confessed but received an indeterminate sentence of 8 years to life under California’s then-prevailing laws. Parole boards released him after serving just eight years in 1987, citing good behavior. The decision ignited fury among victims’ advocates. Singleton relocated to Florida under supervision. Mary Vincent rebuilt her life with prosthetic hooks, channeling trauma into art and testimony. This case exposed flaws in soft-on-crime policies that endangered the public.
Under President Trump’s leadership in 2025, initiatives like the Laken Riley Act and crackdowns on cartels such as MS-13 signal a return to tough justice. Conservatives applaud these steps to protect citizens from repeat predators, echoing Vincent’s fight for stronger safeguards. Past leftist leniency allowed monsters like Singleton to roam free, preying again. Trump’s reforms prioritize victims and deter savagery through swift accountability.
Singleton Strikes Again
Singleton violated parole repeatedly in Florida. On August 23, 1997, he stabbed Roxanne Hayes, a 38-year-old mother of three, over 30 times in her apartment. Hayes worked as a prostitute; Singleton claimed provocation. Arrested quickly, he faced first-degree murder charges. Mary Vincent traveled from California to testify at his trial, her prosthetic arms a stark reminder of his prior evil. Jurors convicted him swiftly.
Singleton died in prison in 2001 from a pulmonary embolism. Vincent’s courage influenced victims’ rights laws nationwide. Her story underscores conservative demands for life sentences without parole for heinous crimes, rejecting revolving-door justice. In 2025, with Trump restoring order, Americans see renewed commitment to shielding families from such horrors through border security and cartel designations as terrorists.
Sources:
Trump Administration Accomplishments – The White House
