Grandparents of slain Borgen brothers ask Rainier council to support memorial sign

While members of the Rainier City Council didn't have too long of a monthly meeting last week on Tuesday, June 9 - the only agenda item was approval of the South Thurston County community's updated six-year street plan - it did accept public comments from several locals.

The first two were Ken and Kathy Borgen, grandparents of Deven and Alexander Borgen, brothers who were 17 and 16 when they were both gunned down during a drive-by shooting in Lacey early in the morning on Nov. 14, 2025.

Though biologically the teens' grandparents, they had been their de facto parents and raised them.

On that day, the brothers were walking home when Trequanne Trenelle Wilson-Mason and Jaden Hawk Johns allegedly drove by and killed them.

After he was arrested, Wilson-Mason told police he mistook Alexander for another person who shot his dog and at his house in October 2024. He allegedly opened fire with a modified automatic handgun, letting off 27 rounds and killing both brothers.

Johns allegedly supplied the weapon and was the getaway driver. Both Johns and Wilson-Mason were arrested and charged with first-degree murder among other charges, and both are currently awaiting jury trials scheduled for Jan. 19, 2027, according to court documents.

While awaiting the trials, the brothers' grandparents have been working on getting memorials set up in their honor in the region.

During public comment, Ken explained he and Kathy had already received permission from the City of Lacey to put up a memorial sign at the intersection where their grandchildren were killed - 24th Avenue Southeast and College Street Southeast.

They were in Rainier to ask for the council's permission to set up a memorial for the boys in Rainier as well. The family lives in the region and the boys grew up for a time in Rainier, which is about 10 miles southeast of Lacey. Deven was a senior at Rainier High School and would have graduated this summer.

He added both he and Kathy have been contacted by the Thurston County nonprofit Orion Watch, an organization focused on providing resources and funding to "justice-impacted individuals" in the region, according to its website.

This includes a fund to pay for memorial signs like the ones Ken and Kathy were asking for approval for.

"They've got the money to pay for the sign ... We just need your approval so we can put it up somewhere in the town of Rainier," Ken said.

While they did not have a specific site chosen for the memorial sign in Rainier, Ken said he felt a good spot was down by pickleball courts between Wilkowski Park and state Route 507.

Considering the proposed location along a state highway, councilors told the couple they might have to get approval for the sign from the Washington state Department of Transportation before council approval, but they were not opposed to it.

"I love the idea of something to memorialize them in town," Rainier City Councilor Amy Baker said.

Rainier Mayor Robert Shaw added the only other memorial sign in the area - the U.S. Army Sergeant Justin Norton memorial mural - is also along state Route 507, and those who had the mural created went through the proper channels and received WSDOT approval.

"We need a little bit more information to think about this," Shaw said.

Ken and Kathy were advised to get the design plans and location for the memorial sign finalized, and once the council had actionable plans to approve, the council would "highly consider it," Shaw added.

Also during public comment, Thurston County Clerk candidate Garrett Cady introduced himself to the council and talked about his campaign.

Already an employee in the county clerk's office, with current Thurston County Clerk Linda Enlow retiring after holding the position since 2015, he is running to be her replacement. He added he has Enlow's endorsement and his main priority was to restore lost in-person services in the clerk's office. For more information, visit his campaign website at https://www.garrettcadyforcountyclerk.com/.

Though he has Enlow's endorsement, he is not running unopposed for the clerk position. His opponent is Nicole Miller. To learn more about Miller's campaign, visit her campaign website at https://www.nicoleforclerk.com/.

The six-year street plan, a state law-required list all cities must have of planned road and sidewalk improvement projects in order to apply for state Transportation Improvement Program grant funding, was also approved by the council.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.