Two charged with murder of homeless man

Police arrested two roommates in the murder of a homeless man whose bloody body was found not far from a playground in a city park last month after one of the men allegedly confessed to a friend who later called police.

Herbert Taylor Bishop, 56, also known by his street name "Pac-Man," was murdered in the early morning hours of May 11.

His bloody body was found later that day not far from the waterfront bike path and children's playground in Skinner Butte Park.

On Tuesday night, Eugene Police Violent Crimes Unit detectives arrested Michael Andrew Baughman, 22, and Ryan Eugene Casch, 22, both of Eugene, on suspicion of murder.



The two are roommates and live just a block and a half away from where Bishops bloody dead body was found last month.

Casch has a prior felony conviction for assault involving a baseball bat.

However, police think Herbert was beat to death by bare hands.

"We don't have any evidence that a weapon was used," said Detective Jeff Donaca. "The indication is that he was beaten to death."

At a press conference Wednesday, police, city leaders and homeless advocates discussed the arrest.

"This crime caused great fear among some of the most vulnerable members of our community," Mayor Kitty Piercy said.

A break in the case came this week when one of the men admitted the crime to a friend, according to police. The friend told police.

Police now believe the murder happened sometime after midnight on May 11. They won't say if Bishop was awake or asleep during the attack or if alcohol was involved.

There's no indication the men knew Bishop. Detectives said this was most likely a random act.

Investigation involved outreach to homeless

Investigators distributed flyers after the murder in an effort to talk to homeless people who may have recently been assaulted.

"Bishop was a homeless man who was attacked at his camp in Skinner Butte Park, near the dead-end of Washington Street," according to a flier police are distributing in the community. "The cause of Bishop's death is blunt-force trauma."

The flier specifically asks for information from homeless people who have been the victim of an assault.

"If you are a homeless person who has recently been assaulted, you may have information that could lead to an arrest in this case," the flier says.

The flier asks anyone with information to contact Eugene Police Detective Jeff Donaca at (541) 682-5193, or Detective Dan Braziel at (541) 682-5836.