Coroner Identifies Homeless Man Found Slain on Beach
The Los Angeles County coroner identified the body of a homeless man Monday who was beaten to death on Santa Monica Beach by two men who allegedly robbed the victim then tried to cover his body with sand.
Coroner’s spokesman Lt. Fred Corral identified the dead man as 45-year-old Richard Wayne Bingel. He was apparently beaten to death early Sunday, allegedly by two acquaintances, also transients, who were sleeping nearby said Santa Monica Police Lt. Gary Gallinot.
Police arrested Robert Bernard Barkman, 25, and Mark Anthony Roberts, 34, on suspicion of murder. They are being held without bail, police said Monday.
The two men are suspected of beating and kicking Bingel to death, stealing his wallet and sleeping bag, then dragging the body onto the sand where they partially covered his head with sand.
Bingel’s body was found face-down about 4:20 a.m. Sunday near the foot of Ocean Park Boulevard, police said.
Bingel’s death is the sixth homicide in Santa Monica in less than a month.
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