DA's office explains why Sam Nordquist's torture death is not a hate crime
NEW YORK (PIX11) – New York's Ontario County Court issued a seven-page indictment on Wednesday, providing new details about the death of Sam Nordquist. Officials also explained why the case was not classified as a hate crime, a question that has troubled the LGBTQ+ community.
Sam Nordquist, a transgender man, was found dead in a farmer's field in upstate New York on Feb. 14 about a week after his family reported him missing. Seven individuals are accused of torturing Norquist to death.
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Officials say Nordquist suffered a month of torture. At one point, the suspects allegedly used duct tape and poured bleach on him, according to court documents. They allegedly physically and sexually assaulted Nordquist, and forced him to kneel while 'treating him like a dog,' per the court documents.
Precious Arzuaga, 38; Patrick Goodwin, 30; Kimberly L. Sochia, 29; Kyle Sage, 33; Jennifer Quijano, 30; Thomas G. Eaves, 21; and Emily Motyka, 19, were charged with first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and second-degree conspiracy.
Arzuaga, Quijano, Sage, and Godwin were also charged with first-degree aggravated sexual abuse. Arzuaga faces two additional charges of first-degree coercion, allegedly forcing two children — 7 and 12 years old — to participate in the torture, according to court documents.
Arzuaga, Quijano, Sage, Godwin, Motyka, and Sochia were charged with concealment of a human corpse.
Major Kevin Sucher, a commander of the state police troop that includes the Finger Lakes region, said the facts and circumstances of the case were 'beyond depraved' and 'by far the worst' homicide investigation the office has ever been part of.
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'We charge the highest charge under New York State law, which is bigger than a hate crime,' said Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford. 'A hate crime would make this crime about Sam's gender, his race, and it's so much bigger. To limit us to a hate crime would be an injustice to Sam.'
Wolford said the torture Nordquist suffered will never make any sense.
Nordquist was laid to rest on Monday. His family held services in Minnesota, where Nordquist was originally from.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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