ABC27 News has an update on a story we first brought you two months ago about an 18-year-old man from Middletown robbed and murdered. We’re sitting down with his family to talk about who Torin Dworchak was and learning about a documentary being made to honor his life.
The documentary filmmaker of “Torin” is Eli Greene. Greene is from Harrisburg. His niece was friends with Torin. Greene said from the few times he met the young man, he remembers Torin as funny, outspoken and courageous enough to be himself.
Torin loved to sing. He recently graduated from Middletown Area High School and was an aspiring artist. His three biggest fans were his sisters
“It was always us four. We did everything together,” Mikala Dworchak said. “He spent a lot of his time writing music and focusing on that. He dreamed of becoming something bigger, doing something with his singing career.”
On Sept. 4, the music stopped. Police charged 18-year-old Tyrese Randolph and 20-year-old Nathaniel Acevedo with Torin’s kidnapping and murder. Those close to Torin say he thought these guys were his friends, but they were setting him up.
Police say the men robbed Torin, put him in the trunk of a car, shot him twice in the head and dumped his body, all before using Torin’s debit card to go shopping and buy new sneakers.
“My mom was crying, our sister was crying, my grandma was crying,” Torin’s sister Quinn Dworchak said. “My mom told us. We started sobbing.”
“It was probably the worst day I’ve ever had in my life,” Mikala Dworchak said.
Greene said before Torin died, he expressed how he was exploring his sexuality and was bullied for it. Torin’s mom says it posed challenges when Torin was trying to make friends.
There’s a video Torin recorded of himself talking before he died. In that video, he said “I’m loyal, I’m caring, I care about everybody. I feel like a lot of people take my kindness for weakness so much. If y’all gave me an hour for me to tell you about myself, I swear you all would have a whole different opinion of me”.
Greene said Torin’s story of gun violence stands out because he was a good kid, not in the streets selling drugs or part of a gang, just your typical 18-year-old longing to be accepted.
“Torin always just wanted to be loved,” Quinn Dworchak said. “When he grew up, he was bullied for who he wanted to be or who he was.”
Greene hopes the film will help cut down on gun violence in Harrisburg. As for Torin’s sisters, the documentary will be something they can cherish, to keep Torin’s song and legacy alive.
“I would say [I’m going to miss] his jokes the most,” Mikala said with tears in her eyes. “He was always joking with us, always making us smile and laugh, and now we’re missing out on all of that”.
Greene’s documentary will be released next year. To watch the trailer, click here or watch the video below. For a GoFundMe page raising money to support the production of the documentary, click here.
