Rudy Eugene
The Miami Zombie and Causeway Cannibal
Died when: 31 years 112 days (375 months)Star Sign: Aquarius
On May 26, 2012, Rudy Eugene attacked and maimed Ronald Poppo, a homeless man, on the MacArthur Causeway in Miami, Florida, making headlines worldwide.
During the 18-minute filmed encounter, Eugene accused Poppo of stealing his Bible, beat him unconscious, removed Poppo's pants, and bit off most of Poppo's face above the beard (including his left eye), leaving him blind in both eyes.
As a result of the incident's shocking nature and subsequent worldwide media coverage, Eugene came to be dubbed the "Miami Zombie" and the "Causeway Cannibal".
The attack ended when Eugene was fatally shot by a Miami PD officer.Although friends and family filled in details of Eugene's life, the reason for the attack remains unclear.
Eugene, 31, employed at a car wash at the time, was divorced with a series of petty criminal arrests from age 16, with the last in 2009.
While police sources speculated that the use of a street drug like "bath salts" might have been a factor, experts expressed doubt, since toxicology reports were only able to identify marijuana in Eugene's system, leaving the ultimate cause of his behavior unknown.
Poppo, 65, a graduate of Manhattan's Stuyvesant High School, was homeless and had long been presumed dead by his estranged family.