The Incredible Story of How Teenager Mary Vincent Survived the “Mad Chopper”

In 1978, Mary Vincent, a rebellious fifteen-year-old from Las Vegas, decided to run away to California with her equally restless boyfriend. However, he got into trouble with the law, and they parted ways. Instead of going back home, Mary hitchhiked nearly four hundred miles to her grandfather's place in Corona.

Having hitchhiked before without any issues, Mary believed that her journey would be just as uneventful. Unfortunately, this was not the case. She soon found herself at the mercy of a dangerous individual.

Mary packed her belongings in a knapsack and began her journey. Despite being young and attractive, she faced the challenge of only getting rides for short distances, which meant starting the hitchhiking process repeatedly.

Mary had joined two other hitchhikers in Modesto and positioned themselves along a busy road with signs indicating their destination was Southern California. They hoped to attract a kind driver who could offer them a ride.

A middle-aged man driving a blue van soon pulled over and examined the group before motioning for Mary to get in. He promised to take her all the way to Los Angeles, which was only a forty-five-minute ride from her intended destination.
Despite the spacious interior of the vehicle, the other hitchhikers were uneasy about accepting the driver's offer. They warned Mary that something seemed off and suggested she wait for a different ride to ensure her safety.

However, Mary, who was tired and desperate after days of struggling to find rides in the sun, ignored their advice and got into the van's passenger seat. Although the driver appeared a bit rough, he didn't seem dangerous, and Mary dozed off soon after settling into the comfortable seat, swayed by the motion of the van.

Upon waking up, Mary noticed that they were traveling in the wrong direction based on the freeway signs. Believing it was an innocent mistake, she informed the driver of the error, and he agreed to correct it. However, he soon pulled over to relieve himself, leaving Mary alone in the vehicle.

As she watched him walk away, a sense of unease crept over Mary, and she became aware of the need to be prepared to run. She opened the passenger door and realized that her shoelaces were untied.

As Mary leaned forward to tie her shoelaces, the driver suddenly reappeared, wielding a sledgehammer. Without warning, he began striking her repeatedly in the head. Despite being semi-conscious, the driver then dragged Mary into the back of the van, where he proceeded to rape her repeatedly throughout the night.

Lawrence Singleton

The next morning, a battered and bleeding Mary pleaded with her attacker to release her, promising not to report him to the police. Seemingly agreeing, he yelled, "You want to be free? I'll set you free!" He then produced a hatchet and brutally hacked off both of her arms at the elbows.

Satisfied with his gruesome act, he heartlessly declared, "Now you're free." Believing Mary to be on the brink of death, he callously threw her off a cliff, causing her to plummet thirty feet into a ravine.

Despite her severe injuries, Mary managed to stay conscious and alert during her harrowing ordeal. Realizing that she needed to act quickly in order to survive, she plunged her arm stumps into the mud to stop the bleeding. Her quick thinking proved to be a miracle as the bleeding was temporarily contained.

With her arms still raised high in the air to prevent further bleeding, she climbed the steep incline using her remaining strength for support. Upon reaching the top, she set out to find help, desperately searching for anyone who could aid her in her dire situation.

Three miles up the road, Mary tried to wave down a passing car for help. Unfortunately, the elderly couple inside were frightened by her naked and blood-covered appearance and sped off. However, soon after, another driver on the I-5 pulled over and came to her aid. With care and compassion, they helped her into their car and rushed her to the nearest hospital for medical attention.

Despite not knowing the identity of her attacker, Mary had committed his face to memory, every detail etched into her mind. Using her recollection, law enforcement created a composite image of the man who had brutally assaulted her, earning him the moniker of the "Mad Chopper" from the media. Following her recovery, Mary underwent extensive therapy to not only help her adapt to life with prosthetic arms but also to address the psychological trauma caused by the attack.
The composite drawing was so accurate that it led to the arrest of a potential suspect, Lawrence Singleton, a retired merchant seaman who was fifty years old. When questioned, Singleton denied having ever seen or heard of Mary. However, he was charged with kidnapping, rape, sodomy, and attempted murder.

The trial took place in March of 1979. Mary testified as the sole witness to the heinous crime, recounting the events in front of a packed courtroom. Throughout the trial, Singleton sat with a stony expression, glaring menacingly at the teenager he had tried to kill. As Mary walked past Singleton's table, he whispered that he would "finish the job" if it was the last thing he ever did.
Mary's compelling testimony had convinced the jury to find Singleton guilty of all charges. The judge handed down the maximum sentence of fourteen years, but not before expressing his personal opinion that Singleton deserved life in prison.

In addition to criminal charges, Mary also filed a civil suit against her attacker seeking damages for her pain and suffering. She was awarded a judgement of $2.6 million, but unfortunately, Singleton was unable to pay due to his financial situation. As a result, Mary never received any compensation for the trauma she had endured.

In 1987, Lawrence Singleton was released on parole, much to the dismay of Mary, the state attorney, and the public in general. Despite the prosecutor's argument that Singleton was still a threat to society and lacked any remorse for his crime, the parole board granted him an early release after serving only eight years of his fourteen-year sentence. Unfortunately, the prosecutor's concerns were realized when Singleton struck again, and this time, his victim did not survive to tell her story.

When it became clear that Singleton would soon be released, his handlers faced the daunting task of finding a place for him to live. Initially, they planned to house him in the town of Rodeo, but when residents of Contra Costa County learned that a convicted sex offender who had mutilated a teenager was going to be living among them, they banded together and vehemently opposed the move. In response to the public outcry, the authorities were forced to abandon their plans and search for a new location for Singleton.
Once the community in California made it clear that Singleton was not welcome there, he was relocated to a temporary shelter in a trailer home on the grounds of San Quentin to serve out his one-year parole. After his release, Singleton returned to his home state of Florida in 1988. Although he was not as notorious in Florida as he had been in California, he still lived a relatively quiet life, at least for a while.
Singleton found himself behind bars again two years after his release from parole, this time for multiple shoplifting charges. In court, he tried to avoid taking responsibility for his actions, blaming his age and declining cognitive abilities instead. Despite his excuses, the judge found him guilty and sentenced him to twenty-four months in prison.

Singleton had experienced three years of uneventful freedom after his release, but on February 19, 1997, he revealed his true nature once more. A housepainter working on the exterior of Singleton's Sulphur Springs residence heard screams coming from inside. Upon investigating, he saw the homeowner, whom he recognized as Lawrence Singleton, stabbing a woman who was fighting for her life. Shocked, the contractor called 911.
Despite police responding quickly to the scene, they were unable to save Roxanne Lea Hayes, a 31-year-old mother of three, who was brutally murdered. Her killer, Lawrence Singleton, was found with blood on his clothing and was immediately arrested and placed in handcuffs. When questioned by the authorities, Singleton claimed that he acted in self-defense.

According to his account, Singleton claimed that Hayes was a prostitute who agreed to perform a sexual act on him for $20. He alleged that after the transaction was completed, he discovered she was stealing from his wallet. When he confronted her, he claimed she pulled out a knife and attempted to stab him. A struggle ensued, during which they fought over the weapon, but he ultimately gained control and defended himself.

Singleton's claims of self-defense were quickly debunked by investigators who found that Roxanne Hayes had suffered seven fatal wounds, while Singleton had no marks on him. Realizing that his lies were not working, Singleton tried a different approach and blamed his actions on his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. However, his attempts to shirk responsibility were ineffective, and he was charged with first-degree murder.

Singleton was convicted of the intentional murder of Roxanne Hayes and awaited sentencing. During the hearing, Mary Vincent traveled from California to share her own experience of being attacked by Singleton years before. Her testimony was a factor in the judge's decision to sentence Singleton to death for his crimes.

Lawrence Singleton never met his scheduled execution date. Instead of lying on the gurney while the state exacted final justice, he died of cancer in a prison hospital in December of 2001. He remained cold and unfeeling until his last dying breath, never once showing any signs of remorse or regret for the horrors he had inflicted on others.

Despite still having nightmares about the attack, Mary refuses to allow Singleton’s actions to dictate how she lives her life. For decades, she lived in fear that he would make good on his promise to track her down and finish what he started, but with his death, she could finally breathe easy. Mary's triumph over evil is truly inspirational, and she is a remarkable soul in every way.