Prosecutors Say Children Were Forced to Torture Trans Man Killed in NY

Two children were forced to participate in acts of torture that led to the death of Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old trans man, prosecutors investigating the killing in upstate New York have alleged. 

The shocking new allegations were revealed in an 11-count indictment that charged the seven people allegedly involved in Nordquist’s death with first-degree murder, battery, and other charges, including kidnapping and child endangerment. The same seven people were previously arrested on second-degree murder charges. 

At a press conference conference Wednesday, March 5, Ontario County Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford said Nordquist was held captive at a motel in Canandaigua, New York and treated “like a dog” for a month before his death on Feb. 2. “Sam was beaten, assaulted, sexually abused, starved, held captive and we cannot make sense of that,” Wolford said. 

One defendant, Precious Arzuaga, was charged with coercing two children, aged seven and 12, to “engage in the conduct that’s charged in this indictment,” Wolford said. Further details about the children’s alleged involvement were not provided, nor were they identified. 

“To have two children have to participate in the beating of another human being, it’s deeply disturbing,” Wolford said. “It has — I can speak for myself and everyone involved in this investigation — been one of the most troubling parts of this. It’s heartbreaking.”

Along with Arzuaga, the other six people charged in connection with the killing of Nordquist are Patrick Goodwin, Kyle Sage, Jennifer Quijano, Emily Motyka, Kimberly Sochia, and Thomas Eaves. 

Arzuaga’s attorney David Pilato confirmed his office had received the indictment and are aware of the allegations. “As with all defendants, Precious is presumed innocent,” Pilato said in a statement to Rolling Stone, and had no further comment.

“An indictment is not a conviction,” Neil Gunther, an attorney for Quijano said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “Ms. Quijano is presumed innocent. We are in the very early stages of this case and it is important that we let the legal process play out and not rush to judgement.”

An attorney for Goodwin declined to comment. Attorneys for Sage, Motyka, Sochia, and Eaves did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s requests for comment.

According to The New York Times, some of the attorneys for the defendants were caught off guard by the new indictment. Some said they expected their clients to be arraigned next week. 

Nordquist, originally from Minnesota, was reported missing by family on Feb. 9, after they became concerned that they hadn’t heard from him. His body was found not long after, wrapped in plastic and dumped in a field. 

While New York Governor Kathy Hochul has directed the New York State Division of Human Rights Hate and Bias Prevention Unit to aid the case, prosecutors have declined to charge the suspects with hate crimes. Investigators previously said this decision was made because “some or all” of Nordquist’s alleged killers were members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Wolford addressed the issue further on Wednesday, saying the case was “bigger than a hate crime,” and, “To limit this to a hate crime would be an injustice to Sam.”

She added: “We cannot put that on his gender, and we cannot put that on his race. And I know many will ask the question: Why? Well, as I stand here today as a human being, we’ll never know the answer why. Because what human being could do what happened to Sam? We’ll never make sense of this case.”