Mary Vincent (artist)

Mary Vincent (born 1963) is an artist and victims' advocate.[1] She became known to the public after surviving a violent attack in which her arms were cut off while hitchhiking in 1978.[2] Mary has focused her adult life on her art,[3] and she generally avoids the public spotlight.

Early life

Mary is one of seven children[2] and lived with her parents in Las Vegas. Her father worked as a mechanic and married her mother, a blackjack dealer, while serving in the military.[2] Mary was not close with her parents in her teenage years, so she left their home in Las Vegas. After a brief period living on the streets and inside unlocked cars, Mary decided hitchhike to her grandfather's home in California in September 1978.[3]

Attack

On her way to California, Mary was picked up by Lawrence Singleton, who violently raped and attacked Mary. After his attack, he left Mary for dead after severing off both of her arms with an axe.[4] Mary then climbed a hill and walked nearly two miles to get help from drivers on nearby Interstate 5.[2]

Aftermath and recovery

In the hospital, Mary immediately worked with police to help identify and find her attacker, insisting she postpone sleep to finish creating a composite sketch for investigators.[2] She also testified in Singleton's trial, leading to his ultimate conviction.[5] Mary won a civil judgment against her attacker and was awarded $2.56 million, but didn't receive the payment due to her attacker's unemployment and inability to pay.[6]

Adult life

Mary began using prosthetic arms within two weeks after the attack.[2] As someone who likes to "tinker", Mary has used spare parts from broken-down electronics to modify her prosthetics into custom designs.[3] Among the changes in her life after the attack, she began a career in art. As an adult, Mary attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She married and subsequently divorced a man named Tom, and she has two sons.[7]

Advocacy

After her attacker was released from prison and committed murder, Mary volunteered to testify against him again at his trial.[7] Mary spoke openly about finding healing by becoming a victims' advocate in support of victims' rights[1] and delivers motivational speeches.[8]

Art

Mary works with chalk pastels to create "powerfully upbeat women" like "female action figures".[3] She also draws family and individual portraits on commission.[3] Her customized prosthetics are also self-creations, including a custom prosthetic for bowling.[3]

References
  1. Kallas, Anne (May 1, 2009). "Crime Survivor Speaks". Ventura County Star. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  2. Jacobs, John (October 11, 1978). "Mary faces her future with horror and hope". The San Francisco Examiner.
  3. WURZER, STORY BY REGINA HACKETT; PHOTOS BY RON (January 30, 2003). "A victim, a survivor, an artist". seattlepi.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  4. "A Victim's Life Sentence". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  5. Clary, Mike (February 25, 1998). "Court Summons Brutal Memory of Killer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  6. Associated Press (September 28, 1988). "Rape Victim Gives Up on Collecting Award". The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  7. "Left for Dead - Mary Vincent • Morbidology". Morbidology. January 2, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  8. Myrtil, Bianca (December 13, 2020). "True Crime: How Mary Vincent fought the odds to catch her attacker". Film Daily. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
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