3 suspects charged in fatal Jacksonville beating of homeless man

Three Florida teenagers were arrested after viciously beating a homeless man to death in a series of attacks last month.

According to investigators, 64-year-old Roger Laurence Borkum was beaten in three separate assaults in Jacksonville between 9:44 pm. and 10:49 pm. A witness found Borkum after the second attack and contacted the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. Responders arrived but determined he did not need medical treatment and left the scene.

The suspects then returned and beat him again before fleeing on foot. A second witness later found Borkum and called 911. First responders transported him to a local hospital, where he died several days later.

The suspects were identified as Marcavion Lacey, 19, Robert Pope, 16, and Justin Curry, 13. All three have been charged with murder. Authorities noted that Curry was 12 years old on the date of the killing. The teens were also linked to a separate robbery earlier that night.

The state attorney’s office said all three suspects are being tried as adults. In a statement, the office said, "The juvenile justice system is neither designed nor equipped to handle offenders or offenses of this magnitude. In Juvenile Court, the State must relinquish its authority to the Department of Juvenile Justice, where the available sanctions fall far short of those permitted in Circuit Court — and far short of what is necessary for this crime.”

“By handling this case in Circuit Court, we ensure that it receives the level of accountability, supervision, and judicial oversight that the facts and law demand,” the attorney’s office added, according to First Coast News.