Robert Burrus, 67 [Update]

Robert Burrus, a 67-year-old black man, was slashed several times and died Saturday, Aug. 1, authorities said. The incident took place at 6th and Fremont streets in downtown Los Angeles.

Officers found bloody money in Bishop’s pocket that connected him to the crime, said Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Paul Vernon, head of detectives for the Central Division.

The 67-year-old victim’s maimed body was discovered about daybreak by another transient.

“Bishop had gouged Burrus’ eyes out in a belief it would keep the victim from identifying his assailant,” Vernon said.

Police were able to track down Bishop because the transient who found Burrus' body recalled seeing Bishop the night before wearing a bloody leather jacket and carrying money with blood on it.

Police, with the help of security officers with the Downtown Business Improvement District, tracked down Bishop nearby. Vernon said Bishop had discarded the blood-stained jacket but detectives found it, as well as the bloody money in his pockets.

Burrus’ slaying was the fourth in downtown this year and the first this year involving a homeless person killed on the street, Vernon said.

“Mr. Burrus’ murder is a tragic example of how vulnerable the homeless are when they sleep on the street,” Vernon said.

[Updated Jan. 20, 2012: Homeless man gets 16 years to life in mutilation murder]

-- Richard Winton

Photo: Robert Burrus, a 67-year-old black man, was slashed several times and died Aug. 1 at a homeless encampment. Credit: LAPD