9/11 Survivor Beaten to Death in Jacksonville: Three Teens Charged in Brutal Attack
Jacksonville, Fla. – A 64-year-old man who narrowly escaped the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center was fatally beaten in a series of assaults by three teenagers in downtown Jacksonville on October 19, authorities announced. The victim, Roger Borkum, a former computer consultant and Long Island native, had been living homeless at the time of the attack, which has sparked widespread outrage over escalating youth violence and the vulnerability of the unhoused.
According to a JSO press release and arrest reports obtained by local media, patrol officers responded to reports of an aggravated battery just before midnight on October 19 in the 100 block of North Hogan Street (near the Duval County Courthouse). They discovered Borkum severely beaten.
He was rushed to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries four days later on October 23. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death as homicide due to blunt-force trauma.
The investigation, led by JSO’s Homicide Unit in partnership with the State Attorney’s Office, revealed the three suspects as 13-year-old Justin Curry, 16-year-old Robert Pope, and 19-year-old Marcavion Lacey. Authorities note that Curry was only 12 at the time of the attack.
According to police reports, the trio reportedly beat Borkum three separate times over the course of about an hour on the night of October 19. The first assault was followed by a second attack, after which the suspects allegedly rifled through Borkum’s backpack. Then, the group returned a third time and beat him yet again before fleeing the area.
The arrests were made within hours of the attack, aided by a witness who saw the beating and provided descriptions.
On November 20, 2025, a Duval County grand jury indicted Curry; Pope and Lacey were already in custody. All three are now charged with murder.
The victim’s background has drawn deep attention: according to his obituary and multiple news reports, Borkum once worked as a computer consultant on the 77th floor of the North Tower at the World Trade Center — a job that ended in late July 2001, narrowly sparing him from the 9/11 attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives, including many of his former colleagues. At the time of his death, Borkum — a widower — had reportedly been living on the streets of downtown Jacksonville. The case has ignited a broader conversation about youth violence and protections for unhoused people in Jacksonville. Community members and local advocates have called the killing “senseless” — a stark reminder of how vulnerable homeless individuals can be, and how young some violent offenders have become.
“This case is a heartbreaking reminder of how young some offenders have become and how devastating the consequences are for victims, families, and the surrounding community,” JSO said in a statement. As the case proceeds, authorities are urging anyone with additional information or who witnessed the events around Hogan Street on October 19 to come forward.”
