Antron Singleton (born September 15, 1976), better known by his stage name Big Lurch, is a convicted murderer, cannibal and former

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

. He is serving a life sentence for murdering 21-year-old roommate Tynisha Ysais and eating parts of her body in April 2002. He was a member of the group

Cosmic Slop Shop Cosmic Slop Shop was an American hip hop group from Oakland, California. The group was composed of Antron "Big Lurch" Singleton, Marvin "Doonie Baby" Selmon and Ricardo "Rick Rock" Thomas. Their single "Sinful" from their only studio album ' ...

Biography

Born in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, Singleton grew up nearby in East Dallas, Texas.

Murder and lawsuit

On April 10, 2002, 24-year-old Singleton murdered his 21-year-old roommate Tynisha Ysais in the apartment he shared with her and her boyfriend in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The victim was found in her apartment at night by a friend. Her chest had been torn open and a three-inch blade was found broken off in her

scapula The scapula (plural scapulae or scapulas), also known as the shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). Like their connected bones, the scapulae are paired, with each scapula on eith ...

. Teeth marks were found on her face and on her lungs, which had been torn from her chest. The friend testified that Singleton was naked and covered in blood, standing on the street and staring at the sky. A medical examination performed shortly after his capture found human flesh in his stomach that was not his own. The victim's boyfriend said he and the aspiring rapper used PCP the day before the murder took place. On November 7, 2003, Singleton was sentenced to

life in prison Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

without the possibility of parole. He had been convicted of murder and aggravated mayhem the previous June after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity at the time of the murder. The defense argued that Singleton was in a psychotic state due to his use of PCP the night before the murder. The court ruled that his intoxication and claimed insanity were not satisfactory reasons for committing the crime. The district attorney argued that drug use can not be used as grounds for an insanity plea in California, and the judge agreed. Ysais' mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2003 against Singleton, his bodyguard, Stress Free Records, Death Row Records, and Ysais' boyfriend. The suit charged that the labels had provided Singleton with drugs "to encourage imto act out in an extreme violent manner so as to make him more marketable as a ' gangsta rap' artist." "Part of what makes a Gangsta Rap artist marketable is the fact that the artist is a participant in violent activities," the lawsuit claimed. Death Row protested it had no connection to Singleton and was dropped from the lawsuit. He was interviewed for the 2011 documentary ''Rhyme and Punishment''. His was one of two stories of drug-intoxicated cannibalism depicted in a 2013 television pilot. Singleton is currently incarcerated at California Health Care Facility in Stockton, California.CDCR Inmate Locator
(09/30/2020)

Discography

*''It's All Bad'' (2004) *''Da Family'' (with

) (1998)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Lurch 1976 births 2002 murders in the United States Living people African-American male rappers American male rappers American cannibals American people convicted of murder American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment People convicted of murder by California People from Dallas Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by California 21st-century American criminals Horrorcore artists Rappers from Dallas Southern hip hop musicians Gangsta rappers 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians