Lawrence Singleton

Article summary

Lawrence Bernard "Larry" Singleton (July 28, 1927 – December 28, 2001) was an American criminal who raped and mutilated adolescent hitchhiker Mary Vincent in California in September 1978, and then murdered Roxanne Hayes after being released from prison eight years later. He raped Vincent and amputated her forearms, then left her to die in a culvert off Interstate 5 in Del Puerto Canyon. She managed to stop a car, and get to safety and later acted as a critical witness against Singleton and also in the later murder trial. Released from prison on good behavior after serving eight years of his 14-year sentence, he later murdered Roxanne Hayes, a mother of three. On February 19, 1997, police found him covered in blood after stabbing her in his new home.

Key claims

1. date of death: 2001 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of death is "2001". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378687511