More gruesome details have come to light regarding the kidnapping, torture and sexual assault leading up to the death of Sam Nordquist, a transgender Black man from Minnesota who was allegedly imprisoned in a small room of an upstate motel for a month before he died.
New York authorities outline a story of kidnap, torture and sexual assault in the killing of Sam Nordquist, a transgender man from Minnesota who was allegedly imprisoned in a small room of an upstate motel for a month before he died. https://t.co/iCW1HY6Yxk
— NBC Out (@NBCOUT) March 5, 2025
From NBC News:
The torment inflicted by the seven people accused in the kidnapping, described in an 11-count indictment filed in Ontario County court, included hitting, kicking, punching, inserting an object into Nordquist’s anus, starvation, forced consumption of feces, urine and tobacco juice, pouring of bleach on him and duct taping him.
The indictment also alleges the forced participation of young children in the assault and torture.
The 24-year-old set out from Oakdale, Minnesota, to Ontario County, New York, in September to connect with a woman he’d met online.
That woman, Precious Arzuaga, is one of seven people charged in the indictment with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, conspiracy and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Arzuaga plus three others – Kyle Sage, Patrick Goodwin and Jennifer Quijano – are also charged with aggravated sexual abuse. Additionally, Arzuaga is charged with allegedly forcing two young children – ages 7 and 12 – to participate in the assault on Nordquist. All seven adults are also charged with allegedly wrapping Nordquist’s body in plastic bags and dumping him in a nearby field in order to conceal the corpse.
UPDATE: All seven individuals charged in the torture and murder of Sam Nordquist have now been indicted for first-degree murder, carrying a life sentence without parole. Prosecutors say Nordquist endured over a month of unimaginable abuse before his death — violence so horrific… pic.twitter.com/Q7PUkkB10n
— Change.org (@Change) March 5, 2025
At a press conference, Ontario County Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford addressed why prosecutors have elected to charge the seven people with first-degree murder and not hate crimes against a Black transgender man. The first-degree murder charge, the most serious penalty available to prosecutors under New York law, could lead to life in prison without parole for the seven defendants if found guilty. “A hate crime would make this charge about Sam’s gender or about Sam’s race, and it’s so much bigger,” Wolford explained. “To limit us to a hate crime would be an injustice to Sam. Sam deserves to have his story told in its entirety.”
Jax was a friend of Sam Nordquist, the transgender man who was brutally tortured and killed in New York last month. In this powerful video, Jax (They/Them) shares why they are petitioning for Sam’s murder to be treated as a hate crime and says that the police’s failure to do so… pic.twitter.com/U4fnLQ3x0D
— Change.org (@Change) February 21, 2025
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