The State : Singleton on Way to Florida

A woman who allowed convicted rapist-maimer Larry Singleton to stay at her home in the Contra Costa County community of Pinole said recent publicity about his presence and resulting pressure from police have forced him to return to Florida. “It’s all over now,” said the woman, who talked to the Contra Costa Times on condition that her name not be used. “Larry’s leaving. They’ve won.” She indicated that she and Singleton had planned to remain together but that “he’s leaving to protect me.” Singleton, 61, served eight years of a 14-year sentence for raping and hacking off the forearms of hitchhiker Mary Vincent in 1978, when she was 15. The woman said she believes Singleton when he says he does not recall the crime, which occurred when he was drinking heavily.