Authorities in Florida have arrested three teenagers accused of carrying out what investigators describe as “a vicious attack” on a 64-year-old homeless man, according to newly released court documents. One of the teens reportedly told police the victim had “dissed” his “dead homies.”
Marcavion Lacey, 19, Robert Pope, 17, and Justin Curry, 13, are each charged with murder in the Oct. 19 assault that left Roger Borkum—originally from New York and once employed at the World Trade Center—fatally injured. Police say Borkum was found in a “pool” of blood after the attack, detailed in an arrest report from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Borkum had previously worked as a consultant on the 77th floor of Tower 1 before being laid off in July 2001, just months before the 9/11 attacks. Family members had not seen him in more than two decades.
“On Sunday, October 19, 2025, District 1 patrol officers responded to an aggravated battery and discovered Roger Borkum had been severely beaten,” the sheriff’s office said in a Friday press release. He was hospitalized but died four days later.
According to investigators, officers found Borkum lying on the ground with a significant amount of blood around his head and a trail leading down the sidewalk. Surveillance footage allegedly shows the three teens approaching him, crouching as if sneaking up, and then repeatedly kicking and stomping him before running off.
Detectives say the assault occurred near the site of a reported robbery that the teens are also suspected of committing. A witness later came forward, identifying the attackers and helping police locate them.
After being read his Miranda rights, Lacey told investigators that the group encountered “a white dude laying” there and claimed the victim said something to one of the teens. He said the man fell to the ground during the exchange. Lacey also told police they “weren’t trying to kill” him. Another teen alleged Borkum had insulted his deceased friends but could not provide their names.
Police say surveillance footage shows the teens rummaging through Borkum’s backpack after the beating. About 20 minutes later, they allegedly returned and attacked him again, delivering “multiple” kicks.
“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,” the sheriff’s office said. It added that officers will continue working with state prosecutors to secure justice for Borkum and urged parents to take an active role in their children’s lives.
According to his obituary, Borkum had been married before becoming homeless; his wife died during a humanitarian trip to Africa. He “narrowly escaped death” in 2001, it noted, as many of his former colleagues were killed on Sept. 11.
At the time of the attack, Curry was just 12 years old and Pope was 16. All three suspects remained jailed as of Sunday.