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Miami cannibal attack

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Rudy Eugene
File:Rudy Eugene 1999.png
1999 North Miami Beach High School yearbook photo of Eugene
Born1980 or 1981
DiedMay 26, 2012 (aged 31)[1]
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Other names"Miami Zombie"[2][3]
"Miami Cannibal"
"Causeway Cannibal"[4]
SpouseJenny Ductant (2005–2008)
RelativesRuth Charles (mother)
Ives Eugene (uncle)

Rudy Eugene (1980 or 1981 – May 26, 2012) was an American man who gained worldwide attention when he was fatally shot as he cannibalized the face of a homeless man, Ronald Poppo, while nude on a causeway in Miami, Florida, in May 2012. As a result of the incident's graphic nature and the subsequent media attention, Eugene came to be known as the "Miami Zombie".[5]

Early life

Eugene was born in either 1980 or 1981. He was of Haitian descent from his mother Ruth Charles. He was a practioner of Vodou and often read the Bible.[6] He enjoyed freestyle rapping and was a known marijuana user.[7] In 2000, he graduated from North Miami Beach High School having attended the school in the 10th and 11th grades,[8] and he was on the football team in the late 1990's.[9] [10] After graduating, Eugene acquired money from such sources as selling CDs and occupations at McDonald’s and in telemarketing. His last recorded employment was washing cars at a local automobile dealership.[7] Eugene's marriage to Jenny Ductant from 2005 to 2008 ended in divorce, with Ductant reporting that there had been domestic violence in the relationship. The divorce was granted on January 8, 2008. They had no children from their relationship.[11] Eugene then became estranged from Ductant until his death.[12][13] Eugene then began relationship with an unnamed girlfriend whom he met sometime during 2007. Their relationship had been on and off and the couple often separated for months at a time. Eugene had expressed plans of establishing his own mobile car wash business.[7][6]

Criminal activites

Eugene was arrested eight times when he was 16, with the first arrest being for an assault in 1997.[11][14] Another assault occured in February 2004 when Eugene broke a table and smashed items around the house, as well as pushed his mother out of the kitchen. Afterward, Eugene's mother Ruth told officers that he had said, "I'll put a gun to your head and kill you." The crime led to Eugene serving probation for resisting an officer without violence.[15] The remaining charges were mainly related to drug offenses.[16]His most recent arrest was in September 2009.[9][8]

Cannibalistic attack

Between 2:00 to 5:00 AM on May 26, 2012, Eugene departed from his girlfriend's home in Fort Lauderdale and drove to Miami Beach, reportedly to attend a concert at Urban Beach Week.[2] His disabled purple Chevrolet Caprice was later discovered by Miami Beach police. According to eyewitness reports, at around noon, Eugene abandoned the car and began to cross the three-mile long span of the MacArthur Causeway, stripping himself of his clothing and disposing of his driver’s license as he advanced westward.[2]

Eugene then encountered a homeless man, Ronald Poppo (born May 17, 1947),[2] lying underneath an elevated Metromover railway and started to consume his face. The attack unfolded at the west end of the MacArthur Causeway, near The Miami Herald headquarters in the Omni neighborhood of Downtown Miami.[17] It is believed that both Eugene and Poppo, who were naked at the time of the attack,[18] were unknown to each other. A passing cyclist, Larry Vega, came across the incident and alerted authorities.[19] A few minutes later, Miami Police Department officer Jose Rivera arrived and, after doing a double take at the spectacle, warned Eugene to desist from attacking Poppo. Eugene ignored Rivera's warnings and, instead, reportedly growled at the officer.[19] The attack ended at 2:13 PM with Rivera shooting Eugene once, and then an additional four times. The ordeal had been captured by a security camera on The Miami Herald building.[20] The surveillance video shows that the attack went on for 18 minutes before help arrived.[21]

Speculative causes

While toxicology reports are not expected for weeks, police have suggested that "bath salts" may have been associated with the attack. The synthetic drug is produced with mephedrone, an active agent that can cause aggression, paranoia, an increase in body temperature, and hallucinatory episodes.[22][19]

Aftermath

Poppo was admitted into Jackson Memorial Hospital, critically injured, with 75% to 80% of his face missing[19][23] and one of his eyes gouged out in the attack.[24] He is expected to go through routine facial reconstruction that will possibly take months to complete.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ Weber, Katherine (31 May 2012). "'Miami Zombie Attack' One of Many Violent Cases Involving Bath Salts". The Christian Post. Retrieved 31 May 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  2. ^ a b c d Kennedy, Helen (30 May 2012). "Victim of 'Miami Zombie' attack graduated from Manhattan's Stuyvesant High School Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/victim-miami-zombie-attack-graduated-manhattan-stuyvesant-high-school-article-1.1086770#ixzz1wOzCAl7B". Daily News. Retrieved 31 May 2012. {{cite news}}: External link in |title= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  3. ^ Elinor Brecher; Frances Robles; Melissa Sanchez (29 May 2012). "Victim of 'Miami Zombie' is a longtime homeless man". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 31 May 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ "Friends of cannibal Rudy Eugene say he was not 'a face-eating zombie monster' as police reveal first picture of homeless victim in bizarre Miami attack". Herald Sun. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Girlfriend: Face-eating man was drugged — or cursed". The Miami Herald. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  7. ^ a b c "Victim in flesh-eating attack on MacArthur Causeway had hard life on Miami streets". The Miami Herald. 29 May 2012. p. 2. Retrieved 31 May 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  8. ^ a b "Who Was Causeway Cannibal Rudy Eugene?". CBS Miami. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Rudy Eugene allegedly attacked Ronald Poppo, eating his face". Today's THV. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  10. ^ "Ronald Poppo Named As 'Zombie' Rudy Eugene's Miami Cannibal Attack Victim". International Business Times. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Miami 'zombie-like' face-chewing suspect Rudy Eugene was 'a beautiful person,' former classmate says". WPTV. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  12. ^ "New video of face-eating attack released". Local 10. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  13. ^ http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/28/naked-attacker-who-chewed-man-face-allegedly-had-history-violence/
  14. ^ "Real-life Hannibal Lecter who ate face of naked homeless man identified as Rudy Eugene, 31". NYDailyNews. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  15. ^ "Rudy Eugene to Mother In 2004: "I'll Put a Gun to Your Head and Kill You"". Miami NewTimes. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  16. ^ "Rudy Eugene identified as man shot dead by police while eating another man's face". National Post. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  17. ^ "Victim in flesh-eating attack on MacArthur Causeway had hard life on Miami streets". The Palm Beach Post. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  18. ^ "Friends of cannibal Rudy Eugene say he was not 'a face-eating zombie monster' as police reveal first picture of homeless victim in bizarre Miami attack". Herald Sun. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  19. ^ a b c d "Miami's 'growling cannibal' named as Rudy Eugene, 31". BBC News. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  20. ^ "Security video shows entire Miami 'zombie' attack". CNN News. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  21. ^ [2]
  22. ^ a b "Miami cannibal zombie-like attack linked to powerful 'bath salts' drug". National Post. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  23. ^ [3]
  24. ^ "Face-chewing victim will need months of treatment, long recovery". Fox News. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
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