Charles Laverne Singleton

Charles Laverne Singleton (March 29, 1959 – January 6, 2004) was an American convicted murderer, who, at the time of his execution, lived on death row in Arkansas longer than any other state inmate. He was executed in 2004 for the June 1, 1979, murder of 19-year-old Hamburg store owner Mary Lou York.

Murder Mary Lou York was attacked in York's Grocery Store, of which she was the owner. She died in the hospital from loss of blood as a result of two stab wounds in her neck. However, a judge later stayed the execution due to questions over Singleton's competency.

After Singleton had spent 24 years in the appeal process due to his diagnosis of schizophrenia, Arkansas Attorney General Mike Beebe told Governor Mike Huckabee that Singleton has been taking antipsychotic drugs that made him sane enough to be executed. Beebe told Huckabee that Singleton has no appeals pending and that nothing should prevent Singleton from being executed.

Singleton's final words were written, not spoken, and included many religious references. A part of his final statement read, "I am Charles Singleton, anointed by God, Victor Ra Hakim". He also wrote, "The blind think I'm playing a game. They deny me, refusing me existence. But everybody takes the place of another. You have taught me what you want done — and I will not let you down. God bless."

After much public debate on the issue of clemency, the state executed Singleton by lethal injection at 8:02 p.m. at the Cummins Unit of the Arkansas Department of Corrections on Tuesday, January 6, 2004. Singleton was the 26th person executed by the state of Arkansas since Furman v. Georgia, after new capital punishment laws in Arkansas came into force on March 23, 1973.