Five people have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder after the torture and brutal killing of a transgender man in upstate New York.
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Sam Nordquist was just 24 years old when he was reported missing on Feb. 9. Nordquist was originally from Minnesota, but moved to New York in September 2024. Police said that, after the move, he lost contact with friends and family back home, per the Associated Press.
Nordquist’s remains were eventually found in a field in Canandaigua, New York, four days later — on Feb. 14.
Major Kevin Sucher, Commander of New York State Police Troop E — which covers the Finger Lakes region — called the killing “beyond depraved” and “by far the worst” homicide investigation he has ever overseen.
“No human being should have to endure what Sam endured,” he said, during a televised news conference last week.
Transgender Man Sam Nordquist Was Found Dead in a Field After Being Reported Missing Last Week
Capt. Kelly Swift, of Troop E’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, noted that the investigation is ongoing, but police have not ruled out the possibility that Nordquist was the victim of a hate crime.
She added that the investigation so far has revealed a “deeply disturbing pattern of abuse” that ultimately resulted in Nordquist’s death.
All five suspects in Nordquist’s killing have been charged with second-degree murder with depraved indifference. If convicted they could face 15-20 years in prison.
The suspects include Precious Arzuaga, 38, Kyle Sage, 33, Patrick Goodwin, 30, Emily Motyka, 19 and Jennifer Quijano, 30.
Ontario County District Attorney Jim Ritts told local news outlet 13WHAM that three out of the five have previous criminal convictions.
Sage is currently on parole after being convicted of larceny and disseminating indecent material to a minor. Goodwin was convicted of first-degree criminal sex act and sexual abuse involving a victim under the age of 11. He’s a registered Level 3 sex offender and is also currently on parole.
“Precious Arzuaga has four misdemeanor convictions,” Ritts added. “Nothing sexual, but petty larcenies, criminal trespass and a sale of an imitation control substance.”
New York State Police Say it Appears That Nordquist Was the Victim of a “Deeply Disturbing Pattern of Abuse”
Nordquist’s mother, Linda, spoke with several local outlets following the news of his death.
She told Syracuse.com that her son left Minnesota to pursue a romantic relationship with a woman he’d met “That’s all Sam ever wanted, was to be loved and to be in a relationship,” she said.
“He would give you the shirt off his back,” she also told WROC. “Very kind, loved his family, loved his nieces and nephew, very outgoing, worked hard.”