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] Vincent has focused her adult life on her art,[3] and she generally avoids the public spotlight.

Early life

Vincent 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] Vincent's parents were going through a messy divorce which caused her to run away from their home in Las Vegas. After a brief period living on the streets and inside unlocked cars, Vincent hitchhiked to her grandfather's home in Berkeley, California in September 1978.[3]

Attack

After arriving in California and staying with her grandfather for a while Vincent became homesick and decided to hitchhike back to Las Vegas. While hitchhiking back to Las Vegas Vincent was picked up by Lawrence Singleton, who violently raped and attacked her. After his attack, he left Vincent for dead after severing both of her arms with a hatchet.[4] Vincent then climbed the cliff she was thrown off, and walked nearly three miles to get help from drivers on nearby Interstate 5.[2]

Aftermath and recovery

In the hospital, Vincent 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] Vincent won a civil judgment against her attacker and was awarded $2.56 million, but did not receive the payment due to her attacker's unemployment and inability to pay.[6]

Adult life

Vincent began using prosthetic arms within two weeks after the attack.[2] As someone who likes to "tinker", Vincent 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, Vincent 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 attacked and murdered a woman, Vincent volunteered to testify against him again at his trial.[7] She spoke openly about finding healing by becoming a victims' advocate in support of victims' rights[1] and delivers motivational speeches.[8]

Art

Vincent 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.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. Jacobs, John (October 11, 1978). "Mary faces her future with horror and hope". The San Francisco Examiner.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  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.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. Associated Press (September 28, 1988). "Rape Victim Gives Up on Collecting Award". The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  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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