Latest news with #Arzuaga
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
7 people charged in death of Sam Nordquist plead not guilty to torturing and killing the transgender man
Seven people pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a long list of charges in the killing of Sam Nordquist, a Black transgender man who was allegedly held captive and tortured in an upstate New York hotel room for more than a month before succumbing to his torment. Nordquist's former partner, Precious Arzuaga, and six others pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, second-degree murder, kidnapping, conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child and concealment of a human corpse. If convicted of first-degree murder, New York state's heaviest penalty, the defendants could spend the rest of their lives in prison without parole. Four of them, including Arzuaga, also pleaded not guilty to aggravated sexual abuse charges, and Arzuaga pleaded not guilty to coercion. The 11-count indictment issued last week outlined Nordquist's gruesome torment, which included beatings, hitting, kicking, punching, inserting an object into his anus, starvation, forced consumption of feces, urine and tobacco juice. Two young children were also coerced to partake in his torture, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said last week that Nordquist, 24, was tortured from Jan. 1 to Feb. 2. Authorities found Nordquist's body in a farmer's field in Yates County, New York, on Feb. 13. The brutality and astonishing nature of the killing has garnered national attention and fueled outrage among LGBTQ advocates in recent weeks. 'We'll never know the answer why, because what human being could do what happened to Sam?' Ontario County Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford said at a press conference last week. 'We'll never make sense of this case.' Attorneys for six of the defendants — Arzuaga, 38; her son, Thomas Eaves, 21; Quijano, 30; Sage, 33; Goodwin, 30; and Kimberly Sochia, 29 — did not immediately return NBC News requests for comment. "The way that everyone's perceiving her is unfair given what I think her minimal involvement is," Lindsey Pieper, an an attorney for the seventh and youngest defendant, Emily Motyka, 19, said in a phone call. Nordquist's family could not immediately be reached for comment. Nordquist and Arzuaga met online and began dating in August, according to interviews with Nordquist's family. In September, Nordquist left his home in Oakdale, Minnesota, and traveled to Canandaigua, New York, to pursue the romantic relationship, his family said. The pair were staying at a motel in the Finger Lakes city, Patty's Lodge, for the entirety of Nordquist's time in New York. In the months leading up to his death, Nordquist's family told NBC News that his calls and texts became uncharacteristically infrequent. The family said they feared that Arzuaga was controlling his cellphone use and movements. The family also accused local police of botching wellness checks they had requested while Nordquist was alive. Authorities have denied any wrongdoing. Wolford said last week that the seven defendants knew one another from the area and that some were romantically involved. Records show that Goodwin, who is a registered sex offender, was also staying in a nearby room at Patty's Lodge at the time. Pieper said she did not know how Motyka met the other defendants, but that her client was living at Patty's Lodge for two weeks, starting on Jan. 18. When asked if the two children coerced to partake in Nordquist's torture belonged to Arzuaga — who has young children — Wolford declined to comment. Since his body was found, LGBTQ advocates urged prosecutors to pursue hate crime charges. Wolford pushed back on those requests last week, saying that to "limit us to a hate crime would be an injustice to Sam." Nordquist's family laid him to rest last week in Minnesota. The seven defendants will next appear in court on May 2. This article was originally published on
NBC News
11-03-2025
- NBC News
7 people charged in death of Sam Nordquist plead not guilty to torture, killing of the transgender man
Seven people pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a long list of charges in the killing of Sam Nordquist, a Black transgender 24-year-old man who was allegedly held captive and tortured in an upstate New York hotel room for more than a month before succumbing to his torment. Nordquist's former partner, Precious Arzuaga, and six others pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, second-degree murder, kidnapping, conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child and concealment of a human corpse. If convicted of first-degree murder, New York state's heaviest penalty, the defendants could spend the rest of their lives in prison without parole. Four of them, including Arzuaga, also pleaded not guilty to aggravated sexual abuse charges, and Arzuaga pleaded not guilty to coercion. The 11-count indictment issued last week outlined Nordquist's gruesome torment, which included beatings, hitting, kicking, punching, inserting an object into his anus, starvation, forced consumption of feces, urine and tobacco juice. Two young children were also coerced to partake in his torture, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said last week that Nordquist was tortured from Jan. 1 to Feb. 2 before succumbing to his injuries. Authorities found Nordquist's body in a farmer's field in Yates County, New York, on Feb. 13. The brutality and astonishing nature of the killing has garnered national attention and fueled outrage among LGBTQ advocates in recent weeks. 'We'll never know the answer why, because what human being could do what happened to Sam?' Ontario County Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford said at a press conference last week. 'We'll never make sense of this case.' Attorneys for six of the defendants — Arzuaga, 38; her son, Thomas Eaves, 21; Quijano, 30; Sage, 33; Goodwin, 30; and Kimberly Sochia, 29 — did not immediately return NBC News requests for comment. "The way that everyone's perceiving her is unfair given what I think her minimal involvement is," Lindsey Pieper, an an attorney for the seventh and youngest defendant, Emily Motyka, 19, said in a phone call. Nordquist's family could not immediately be reached for comment. Nordquist and Arzuaga met online and began dating in August, according to interviews with Nordquist's family. In September, Nordquist left his home in Oakdale, Minnesota, and traveled to Canandaigua, New York, to pursue the romantic relationship, his family said. The pair were staying at a motel in the Finger Lakes city, Patty's Lodge, for the entirety of Nordquist's time in New York. In the months leading up to his death, Nordquist's family told NBC News that his calls and texts became uncharacteristically infrequent. The family said they feared that Arzuaga was controlling his cell phone use and movements. The family also accused local police of botching wellness checks they requested while Nordquist was alive. Authorities have denied any wrongdoing. Wolford said last week that the seven defendants knew each other from the area and that some were romantically involved. Records show that Goodwin, who is a registered sex offender, was also staying in a nearby room at Patty's Lodge at the time. Pieper said she did not know how Motyka met the other defendants, but that her client was living at Patty's Lodge for two weeks, starting on Jan. 18. When asked if the two children coerced to partake in Nordquist's torture belonged to Arzuaga — who has young children — Wolford declined to comment. Since his body was found, LGBTQ advocates urged prosecutors to pursue hate crime charges. Wolford pushed back on those requests last week, saying that to "limit us to a hate crime would be an injustice to Sam." Nordquist's family laid him to rest last week in Minnesota. The seven defendants will next appear in court on May 2.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Yahoo
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. More Local News 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. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State '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.
