Roger Borkum Dead: 'Homeless' 9/11 Survivor 'Severely Beaten' By Three Teenage Suspects In Jacksonville

It is a chilling irony of fate: a man who walked away from the 77th floor of the World Trade Centre's North Tower just weeks before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks found his end two decades later in a brutal, senseless beating on a Florida street.

Roger Borkum, a 64-year-old former computer consultant who had been made homeless, survived one of the worst moments in modern American history only to be murdered by three teenagers—one of whom was just 12 years old at the time of the fatal assault.

Borkum was discovered 'severely beaten' in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida, just before midnight on October 19. According to an arrest report obtained from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO), he was found with blood 'pooled' around his head and a 'blood trail extending down the sidewalk'.

The sheer viciousness of the crime shocked investigators. Three young suspects were allegedly seen 'kicking and stomping' the vulnerable man during what was later revealed to be a protracted, hour-long assault.

The Final, Fatal Moments of Roger Borkum

The tragic series of events unfolded in the late evening hours of October 19, 2025, on Hogan Street. The investigation revealed that the three teenagers—Marcavion Lacey, 19, Robert Pope, 17, and Justin Curry, 13—battered Borkum a shocking three separate times over the course of about an hour.

The attack was not a single, isolated event. After the initial battery, the attackers were seen 'rummaging' through Borkum's backpack. They then returned approximately 20 minutes later, kicking him 'multiple' times.

After the second beating, a concerned witness found Borkum injured on the ground and called the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD). Crucially, the JFRD responded but determined Borkum was not in need of medical treatment at that time and departed the scene.

This failure of intervention had devastating consequences. The suspects returned for a third and final beating at 10:48 p.m., battering the victim again before fleeing the area on foot.

It was only after a second witness found Borkum and called emergency services that he was finally transported to a local hospital. Roger Borkum, a widower, died from his injuries four days later.

Within hours, the three suspects were arrested. Marcavion Lacey, Robert Pope, and Justin Curry were all subsequently indicted for murder by a Duval County grand jury on November 20. Justin Curry was just 12 years old the night of the attack, turning 13 shortly thereafter.

The State Attorney's Office released a statement regarding the decision to prosecute the juveniles as adults, stressing that the juvenile justice system is 'neither designed nor equipped to handle offenders or offences of this magnitude' and that by handling the case in Circuit Court, they would ensure the 'level of accountability, supervision, and judicial oversight that the facts and law demand'.

The purported motive for the killing was revealed to be shockingly trivial. One of the suspects reportedly told police that Borkum—a complete stranger—had 'dissed' their 'dead homies', although reports did not elaborate on what this meant or how the homeless man had supposedly provoked them.

From WTC Consultant to the Jacksonville Streets

The tragic ending in Florida stands in stark contrast to the life Roger Borkum led. Born in Syosset, Long Island, Borkum was known throughout his life as a compassionate, ethical, and intellectual man who loved reading philosophical works from the Enlightenment.

He developed a successful career as a computer consultant, even creating a calendar application for Lotus Notes.

His career intersected briefly with the World Trade Centre. Borkum had worked on a consulting job for a client on the 77th floor of Tower 1.

He was let go in late July 2001. Just over two months later, the Twin Towers were gone, and his former colleagues on that floor had perished—a truly terrifying and 'narrowly escaped' brush with mass casualty.

Borkum's moral compass often caused friction in the corporate environment. His obituary detailed how his ethical nature could conflict with the business world, noting that his 'bewilderment at the lending practices of a multinational bank to which he consulted in 1999 foreshadowed the banking crisis of 2008'.

His family noted that it would never have occurred to him to compromise his values. Prior to the difficulties that eventually led to his homelessness, he had endured another great personal loss when his wife, Celeste, passed away while undertaking a humanitarian trip to Africa.

The story of Roger Borkum, a man who survived one horrific act of terror and tragedy only to fall victim to the seemingly random and barbaric violence of a street attack, has profoundly affected those who knew him and serves as a devastating reminder of the fragility of life.