Seven people have been indicted for the torture and killing of a trans-identified female, including members of the LGBT community.
All seven were charged with the first-degree murder of 24-year-old trans-identified female Sam Nordquist and face life without parole, News 10 reported. They were also charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy. One of the seven suspects, Precious Arzuaga, is also charged with coercion after it was discovered she allegedly forced two children – aged 7 and 12 – to participate in the torture.
“Our state no longer has the death penalty but prior to the death penalty being struck down, this would have been a death penalty charge,” Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford said after the indictment on Wednesday, according to News 10.
“It’s heartbreaking. We have a seven-year-old and a 12-year-old who are also victims,” Wolford added. “They may have been forced to participate, but their lives are forever changed by what they saw and endured in there.”
No one has been charged with a hate crime because at least some of the suspects are members of the LGBTQ community.
Wolford added that the group “physically restrained” Nordquist, forced the victim “to obey their commands” and treated Nordquist “like a dog.” They allegedly covered Nordquist’s “face with towels and shirts and fabric” and poured bleach on the victim.
Arzuaga, 38; Jennifer A. Quijano, 30; Kyle Sage, 33; Patrick A. Goodwin, 30; and Emily Motyka, 19, have all been charged in connection to Nordquist’s death, New York State police announced on February 12. Two more people, Thomas Eaves, 21, and Kimberly Socchia, 29, were charged a week later, News 10 reported.
The group is believed to have physically abused Nordquist between December 2024 and February 2025, resulting in death. Nordquist also appears to have been sexually assaulted.
“We urge the community not to speculate into the motive behind the murder as we work to find justice for Sam,” State Police and Ontario County District Attorney James Ritts said in a statement following the initial arrests, according to The New York Times. “At this time, we have no indication that Sam’s murder was a hate crime.”
Nordquist was reported missing by family on February 9, months after Nordquist left home in Minnesota for New York. Family members requested a welfare check, and Nordquist’s body was discovered in a field in Yates County. Nordquist had been staying at a motel in Hopewell, along with Arzuaga, who has been charged in the murder.
“In my 20-year law-enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated,” Captain Kelly Swift said at a press conference in February.
