CANANDAIGUA, NY - A body, later identified to be missing transgender 24-year-old Sam Nordquist, was found tortured and murdered last week in New York.
Nordquist's body appeared to have been tortured using heinous methods for months prior to being killed. Ontario County District Attorney Jim Ritts said, “As you’ve heard, the facts and circumstances of this crime are beyond depraved. No human being should have to endure what Sam endured.”
Ritts continued, "It is absolutely without question the worst thing that we have ever seen. I can tell you, in my 36 years of doing this I have never seen anything this depraved. It's hateful. The question about hate crimes is whether the hate was derived from Sam being a transgender person or if these are just evil people who hate and would have done this regardless of Sam’s situation."
Police say Nordquist had been tortured from about December of 2024 through February 2025. Nordquist was reported missing on February 9, and it appeared the body had been moved to cover up the horrendous crimes inflicted upon the body. The remains were discovered last Thursday, February 13.
Speculation immediately erupted with advocacy groups claiming that Nordquist was tortured and killed because (s)he was a transgender, but police have said there is no evidence to support that claim. Further, five have been arrested and indicted since the body was discovered, and all five were known to Nordquist and all identify as LGBTQ.
The five were identified as: Precious Arzuaga, 38; Kyle Sage, 33; Patrick Goodwin, 30; Emily Motyka, 19; and Jennifer Quijano, 30. All five were charged with second-degree murder with depraved indifference.
It's been reported that three of those five arrested have previous criminal history, with two of them having been on parole at the time of their arrests. Sage was on parole and convicted of larceny and disseminating indecent material to a minor. Goodwin, a level 3 sex offender, was also on parole and convicted of first-degree criminal sex act and sexual abuse involving a victim under the age of 11. Arzuaga has been convicted of four misdemeanors.
Although police have said that the suspects were known to Nordquist, the nature of their relationships has yet to be identified. Arzuaga and Nordquist reportedly lived together at Patty's Lodge in Hopewell, where, reportedly, Nordquist had recently started living after moving from Minnesota.
"To help alleviate the understandable concern his murder could be a hate crime," Ritts said, "we are disclosing that Sam and his assailants were known to each other, identified as LGBTQ+, and at least one of the defendants lived with Sam in the time period leading up to the instant offense."
After authorities already indicated that the murder was not a "hate crime" committed simply because the victim was transgender, NY Governor Kathy Hochul said, “The charges against these individuals are sickening, and all New Yorkers should join together to condemn this horrific act. I have directed State Police to provide any and all support to the District Attorney, including into whether this was a hate crime.”
All five suspects were denied bail after their indictments.
Capt. Kelly Swift of the state police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation said, "In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated."
Nordquist's body appeared to have been tortured using heinous methods for months prior to being killed. Ontario County District Attorney Jim Ritts said, “As you’ve heard, the facts and circumstances of this crime are beyond depraved. No human being should have to endure what Sam endured.”
Ritts continued, "It is absolutely without question the worst thing that we have ever seen. I can tell you, in my 36 years of doing this I have never seen anything this depraved. It's hateful. The question about hate crimes is whether the hate was derived from Sam being a transgender person or if these are just evil people who hate and would have done this regardless of Sam’s situation."
Police say Nordquist had been tortured from about December of 2024 through February 2025. Nordquist was reported missing on February 9, and it appeared the body had been moved to cover up the horrendous crimes inflicted upon the body. The remains were discovered last Thursday, February 13.
Speculation immediately erupted with advocacy groups claiming that Nordquist was tortured and killed because (s)he was a transgender, but police have said there is no evidence to support that claim. Further, five have been arrested and indicted since the body was discovered, and all five were known to Nordquist and all identify as LGBTQ.
The five were identified as: Precious Arzuaga, 38; Kyle Sage, 33; Patrick Goodwin, 30; Emily Motyka, 19; and Jennifer Quijano, 30. All five were charged with second-degree murder with depraved indifference.
It's been reported that three of those five arrested have previous criminal history, with two of them having been on parole at the time of their arrests. Sage was on parole and convicted of larceny and disseminating indecent material to a minor. Goodwin, a level 3 sex offender, was also on parole and convicted of first-degree criminal sex act and sexual abuse involving a victim under the age of 11. Arzuaga has been convicted of four misdemeanors.
Although police have said that the suspects were known to Nordquist, the nature of their relationships has yet to be identified. Arzuaga and Nordquist reportedly lived together at Patty's Lodge in Hopewell, where, reportedly, Nordquist had recently started living after moving from Minnesota.
"To help alleviate the understandable concern his murder could be a hate crime," Ritts said, "we are disclosing that Sam and his assailants were known to each other, identified as LGBTQ+, and at least one of the defendants lived with Sam in the time period leading up to the instant offense."
After authorities already indicated that the murder was not a "hate crime" committed simply because the victim was transgender, NY Governor Kathy Hochul said, “The charges against these individuals are sickening, and all New Yorkers should join together to condemn this horrific act. I have directed State Police to provide any and all support to the District Attorney, including into whether this was a hate crime.”
All five suspects were denied bail after their indictments.
Capt. Kelly Swift of the state police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation said, "In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated."
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