His parents, who were German immigrants, returned to Dresden in 1932, where his father was a Nazi and joined the Schutzstaffel.
Singer married Vickie Lemon in 1965 with whom he had seven children and lived on a 2.5-acre (10,000 m2) farm in Marion, Utah in Summit County.
It is unclear if him not giving up custody of the children or of his home schooling actions led to the standoff where Singer was killed.
In January 1979, after Singer refused to release the children, Utah law enforcement officers returned to arrest him and surrounded his home.
After refusing to surrender, he reportedly pointed his pistol at the officers who then shot him multiple times, killing him.