A transgender man who was staying in a motel in upstate New York endured months of physical and psychological abuse before he was murdered and discarded in a field, according to authorities.
Five people were arrested and charged with second-degree murder with depraved indifference in connection with the horrific death of Sam Nordquist, 24, who hailed from Minnesota but traveled to New York in September to “meet his online girlfriend,” according to a GoFundMe page set up by his family.
Nordquist had a round-trip plane ticket and was scheduled to return to Minnesota on Oct. 12, but he never returned home and none of his family or friends heard from him since Jan. 1, the GoFundMe noted. Nordquist’s body was found in a field in Yates County.
On Feb. 9, at the request of Nordquist’s family, New York State Police at SP Canandaigua conducted a welfare check and determined that Nordquist was staying at Patty’s Lodge in Canandaigua — which is southeast of Rochester in the Finger Lakes region — with Precious Arzuaga, 38, and other individuals. Along with Arzuaga, Jennifer A. Quijano, 30, Kyle Sage, 33, Patrick A. Goodwin, 30, and Emily Motyka, 19, were also charged in the case.
State Police said during a Feb. 14 press conference that “specific details” of the case will not be revealed at the time being, citing the ongoing investigation, but Kelly Swift, who serves as captain of the New York State Police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, said authorities “have determined that Sam endured prolonged physical and psychological abuse at the hands of multiple individuals.”
A joint statement issued by the state police and Ontario County District Attorney James Ritts noted that there is no indication as of yet that Nordquist’s murder was a hate crime.
“To help alleviate the understandable concern his murder could be a hate crime, 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,” the joint statement noted.
Linda Nordquist, Sam Nordquist’s mother, told Rochester-based WROC TV that her late son was kind to everyone in her family.
“He would give you the shirt off his back, very kind, loved his family, loved his nieces and nephew, very outgoing, worked hard,” Linda Nordquist said.
Linda Nordquist warned Sam against traveling to New York, but he went anyway.
“The last time I talked to Sam was January 1, and Sam said, it was real short, said ‘I love you, I’ll call you tomorrow,’ and I have not talked to Sam since,” Linda Nordquist said, according to WROC TV. “It’s heartbreaking, I’m devastated, I’ve cried so much, my children have cried so much, this is Sam’s brother and sister, and they’re just devastated. We are a small but very close family.”
The case drew the attention of Gov. Kathy Hochul, who described the allegations as “sickening” and encouraged New Yorkers to join together in condemning the murder.
“We are praying for Sam Nordquist’s family, community, and loved ones who are experiencing unimaginable grief,” Hochul said. “I have directed state police to provide any and all support and resources to the district attorney as they continue their investigation, including into whether this was a hate crime. Additionally, the New York State Office of Victim Services at my direction has contacted local officials to connect the victim’s family with services and support. I have also directed the New York State Division of Human Rights Hate and Bias Prevention Unit to offer assistance and support to all community members affected by this terrible act of violence. There must be justice for Sam Nordquist.”
The New York Civil Liberties Union’s Genesee Valley regional organizer, Shay Herbert, said, “We are heartbroken by the horrific murder of Sam Nordquist and extend our condolences to his family and loved ones. Sam was killed in a gruesome act of violence and should be alive today. This tragedy comes at a time of nationwide attacks against trans people, led by a federal administration hellbent on erasing their existence. Transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violent crime, and the vast majority of victims are people of color.”
New Pride Agenda, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization, also spoke out about Nordquist’s murder and noted that it coincided with a rise in transphobia nationwide.
“We are devastated and enraged by the horrific murder of Sam Nordquist, a Minnesotan whose life was brutally taken in the Finger Lakes region after enduring weeks of torture,” the organization stated. “While arrests have been made, we know this is not an isolated incident—it is a tragic consequence of the rising culture of hate in our society. We must continue to fight for a world where all LGBTQ+ people are safe, valued, and free from violence.”
Nordquist’s death comes after at least 32 transgender and gender-expansive individuals suffered violent deaths in 2024, according to the Human Rights Campaign, which has tracked violent deaths of trans individuals since 2013. The Human Rights Campaign’s same tracker tallied 32 deaths in 2023, as well, after seeing 41 deaths in 2022.
