| Date | February 2025 |
|---|---|
| Location | New York, U.S. |
| Casualties | |
| Sam Nordquist | |
| Suspects | Precious Arzuaga, Jennifer Brooklyn Quijano, Patrick Goodwin, Kyle Sage, Emily Motyka, Kimberly Sochia, Thomas Eaves |
In February 2025, Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old transgender man from Minnesota, was killed after being tortured for over a month. [1] Nordquist had been tortured between December 2024 and February 2025 before being killed, according to a police news release on February 14, 2025. [2] [3] [4]
In Hopewell, the New York State Police, working with local law enforcement, arrested and charged five people, ages 19 to 38, who were charged with second-degree murder with depraved indifference, according to the release. [2] [5] On February 20, two more suspects, a 29-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man, were charged with the same offense.
Nordquist was born in Red Wing, Minnesota, [6] and had attended Red Wing High School. [7] He worked at a group home for disabled people in Little Canada. [8] Nordquist identified as biracial [6] and was close with his mother and two siblings. [8]
Nordquist left Minnesota on September 28, 2024, with plans to travel to New York to meet his online girlfriend and return two weeks later. His family lost touch with him after January 1, 2025, [7] [8] and noted that in his communications up to his disappearance, he seemed "not like himself". [9] According to his mother, the family requested multiple wellness checks in the months leading up to their missing persons report, to which the police failed to respond. She also noted an email from Ontario County Social Services in December, showing he failed to return to their offices after speaking to them about a need for an "escape plan". [10]
Nordquist had been reported missing since December 2024. [1] The New York State Police did a wellness check on February 9, after Nordquist's family filed a missing persons report with the Canandaigua Police that day. [11] [5] Police searched a room at Patty’s Lodge Motel in Hopewell, Ontario County, where Nordquist and at least one of the suspects were reportedly living together, and discovered evidence of the abuse. [12] [1]
Captain Kelly Swift of the New York State Police said at a news conference on February 14 that, based on evidence and multiple witness statements, Nordquist reportedly endured prolonged physical and psychological abuse from multiple individuals prior to his death. [11] According to police reports, the suspects reportedly sexually assaulted Nordquist with a table leg and broomstick, and beat him with sticks, dog toys, ropes and belts before he succumbed to his injuries. [13] The abuse reportedly went on from early December 2024 to February 2025. [12]
Human remains thought to be those of Nordquist were found in a Yates County field on February 13, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Rochester. [5] According to police, Nordquist's body was moved in an attempt to conceal the crime. Cpt Swift called the case “one of the most horrific crimes” she ever investigated in her law enforcement career. [5]
The Ontario County District Attorney issued a statement that they do not see evidence of a hate crime. [14] The District Attorney stated "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." [14] The Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office plans to conduct an autopsy. [15]
One suspect, Patrick Goodwin, age 30, had previously been convicted of child sexual abuse in 2015. He was released from prison in 2023. Another, Kyle Sage, 33, was convicted of grand larceny and distributing pornography to a minor and finished his prison sentence in May 2024. Precious Arzuaga, 38, has misdemeanor trespass and larceny convictions and a 2016 charge of animal cruelty to her dog, which was removed by authorities. [16] [17] [18]
Local authorities and the New York State Police arrested five suspects on February 9, 2025. [15] The suspects, both male and female, aged 19 to 38, were charged with second-degree murder with depraved indifference. [2] [5] On February 20, 2025, two more suspects were arrested with the same charges. [19]
Vigils were held shortly after the discovery of Nordquist's death. One was hosted in Red Wing, Minnesota, where he had attended high school. Another vigil was held that same day at Wood Library in Canandaigua, New York. [20] The POCI Caucus and Queer Caucus of the Minnesota House of Representatives released a joint statement of solidarity [21] and hosted a vigil at the Minnesota State Capitol. [22]
The New York Times, in reporting Nordquist’s death, changed their headline twice, from originally referring to Nordquist as a trans man and saying he was tortured for two months, then to simply referring to him as a man and saying he was tortured for “more than a month”, and finally to simply referring to him as a person instead of a man or trans man. [23]
Organizers are looking into honoring Nordquist at an upcoming exhibit which showcases Minnesota's LGBTQ history. [24]
On Bluesky, Minnesota governor Tim Walz noted that the events around Nordquist's killing are "deeply disturbing" and that "Minnesota stands with our LGBTQ neighbors against this unthinkable crime". [15] New York governor Kathy Hochul issued a statement on February 15, stating that her office would provide any support needed as there needed to be justice for Nordquist, and offering the support and assistance to Nordquist's family and anyone who needed it. [11]
Three members of the Rochester city council shared a news release in which they stated "We reaffirm our commitment to protecting Trans rights, ensuring safety for all and wish to make clear that you belong—fully, openly, and without fear." [25]
Linda Nordquist, the mother of Sam Nordquist, spoke to NewsNation affiliate WROC and said about her son "He would give you the shirt off his back." Adding that he was "Very kind, loved his family, loved his nieces and nephew, very outgoing, worked hard." When asked about the five people arrested she responded "They can rot. They are scum, they are evil, I don’t know how somebody can be that evil." [26] She later criticized law enforcement, claiming they failed to "do their jobs" when she called earlier to request wellness checks. [10]
Rochester LGBTQ+ Together, an advocacy group, reported that it was "angered and disgusted" to learn about Nordquist's killing. [12]
The New Pride Agenda, an LGBTQ+ rights organization based in New York, stated that they were "devastated and enraged by the horrific murder of Sam Nordquist" and that "this is not an isolated incident; it is a tragic consequence of the rising culture of hate in our society." [27]
The New York City Anti-Violence Project released a statement that regardless of whether law enforcement classified the case was pursued as a hate crime, anti-trans violence often intersects with racism, hate violence, and intimate partner violence. [28] [29]
GLAAD, the largest LGBTQ advocacy organization in the country, has urged New York prosecutors to pursue hate crime charges. In a press release, they stated "While we are encouraged to see law enforcement act swiftly to investigate this horrific act, we caution investigators from ruling out hate crime charges" and "Anti-LGBTQ hate can be perpetuated by anyone, regardless of their relationship to the victim or their own gender identity or sexual orientation". [30]