In the months following Rudy Eugene's face-mauling attack on Ronald Poppo on Memorial Day weekend, the question remains: Why did he brutally attack a homeless man on a sunny Saturday afternoon?
Toxicology reports were unable to prove that an illicit substance was to blame for Eugene lashing into Poppo's face with his teeth -- an assault so unthinkably gruesome it sparked fear of a zombie apocalypse across the country.
And now another strange detail raises new questions about whether the attack was random at all.
In an extensive Miami Herald report, Eugene's friend Christian says the two had met Poppo before while volunteering with Miami's homeless community.
“Poppo seemed like a nice and kind man,” Christian told the Herald. “I remember when we gave him food.’’
Poppo, who has been called "extremely charming" by staff at Jackson Memorial Hospital where he continues to recover, was napping in the shade of the Metrorail when Eugene attacked him after crossing the MacArthur Causeway on foot.
The fact that police found torn-out pages from the Bible scattered along Eugene's path and near the site of the attack has prompted many in the local community to think that religion played a part in his bizarre behavior. Others blame Vodou based on Eugene's Haitian heritage.
Several Haitian churches refused to host Eugene's funeral after congregations said that they would be uncomfortable having his body in their place of worship. Read the full details at the Miami Herald.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: The Jackson Memorial Foundation has set up a fund to assist Ronald Poppo in his recovery, which experts in facial reconstruction have said will include lengthy treatment, staged reconstruction, and psychological care. Donations can be made online at jmf.org.
WARNING: SLIDESHOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC PHOTOS:
