Vigil held for N.Y. transgender man tortured, killed in Finger Lakes region

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Shock, sadness and anger flooded a back room inside the Wood Library in Canandaigua, New York, Monday for the Trans Resilience Community's event honoring 24-year-old Sam Nordquist, who police say was subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture leading to his death.

A photo of Nordquist wearing a red cap and gown was placed in the front of the room, surrounded by candles and pink, blue and white flowers, representing the colors of the transgender flag. A sign with the words "Unite and Fight for Queer & Trans Liberation" in big green letters hung along the side of the room.

The room was silent but for the sounds of sniffling and weeping before the program began. Over a hundred people gathered inside the library and even more tuned in via Zoom.

Nordquist's family sat in the front row. His sister, Kayla Nordquist, clutched a flyer with a picture of her brother, hugging it close to her chest.

The Ontario County District Attorney's Office and New York State Police said in a joint statement that Nordquist's death investigation is in the early stages but that they don't have any indications his death was motivated by hate. Sam and the five arrested "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."

GLAAD, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, applauded law enforcement's "swift" actions in investigating Nordquist's death but cautioned them on ruling out hate crime charges because of that claim. The organization pointed to transgender and gender non-conforming people being at increased risk of intimate partner violence.

'We don't just long for that justice, we demand it.'

The event was hosted by the Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes. Vice President of Operations Ashley Lewis said the purpose of the event was to create a safe space for the community to come together and mourn and honor Nordquist.

"We know that the LGBTQ+ community is historically marginalized and faces violence in a much higher rate than outside of the community," Lewis said. "So those of us that are not part of that target group have a moral obligation to show up and use our voice and create these places of safety so that people are able to connect during such a tragic time."

One by one, members of the community took turns standing in the front of the room to speak. Many of them, speaking through their tears, are part of the LGBTQ+ community.

"We don't just long for that justice, we demand it," Mitchel Acacian said to the group.

Acacian spoke of what he called the elephant in the room — the enormity of horror and tragedy the LGBTQ+ community consistently faces, he said.

"But may our remembrance of Sam and all we lose to violence not ever be in vain or in vanity, but may we renew our commitment to seeking intersectional justice while resisting whiteness centering itself," Acacian said. "We must all use whatever privilege we have to offer care, solidarity, defense and protection to our black siblings and all who are marginalized based on human prejudices and ignorance."

Each speaker at the night's event stepped down from the podium to hug Nordquist's family.

The night ended with a group of people releasing red balloons in the parking lot of Wood Library in Nordquist's honor. The group consoled and embraced each other as the balloons flew away into the night sky.

A safer Pride: LGBTQ+ communities, allies around US taking steps to promote safety at Pride 2024 events

Nordquist found dead, five charged with murder

According to Nordquist's family, he met a woman online in July and bought a round-trip plane ticket to Canandaigua from his home in Minnesota in September to meet her. His family told the Democrat & Chronicle, part of the Paste BN NETWORK, that he was supposed to fly back to Minnesota in October but never got on the plane.

His family reported him missing on Feb. 9 after they could not reach him and it appeared that his phone was off, which they said was out of character for him.

New York State Police detectives found Nordquist's remains on Feb. 13 and announced two days later that Precious Arzuaga, 38; Jennifer Quijano, 30; Kyle Sage, 33; Patrick Goodwin, 30; and Emily Motyka, 19, were arrested in connection with Nordquist's death. They were charged with second-degree murder and are jailed without bond, according to Ontario County District Attorney James Ritts.

Witness statements and evidence collected by investigators and multiple law enforcement agencies determined that between December 2024 and February, Nordquist was "subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture in a manner that ultimately led to his death," according to NYSP Capt. Kelly Swift.

His body was transported in an attempt to conceal the crime, Swift said, and was found in a field in Benton, New York.

Thousands have signed a Change.org petition, urging authorities to charge the five with a hate crime.

"It was a hateful act, regardless if it wasn't a hate-specific crime," said President and CEO of the Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes Barbara Pierce-Morrow.

Authorities oft criticized for lack of hate crime charges for LGBTQ+ victims

Advocates and loved ones have long criticized law enforcement and prosecutors for not adding hate crime charges to murders of LGBTQ+ people.

In June 2024, Pauly A. Likens Jr.'s remains were found near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border in the Shenango River Lake area in Pennsylvania. Likens, a 14-year-old transgender girl, had met DaShawn Watkins, 29, on the LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr. Watkins was charged with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence.

Activists and Mercer County residents called for hate crime charges, but Mercer County District Attorney Peter Acker declined, stating Watkins is openly gay and Likens was transitioning. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called for hate-based crimes against LGBTQ+ people to be treated the same way as other hate crimes.

The history of attacks and a growing number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills across the nation forced many Pride organizers to either scale back or add security to their events in June.

“The attitude continues to be that we will not let bigots drive us in to the shadows,” said Dara Adkison, executive director of TransOhio in Columbus. “We support each other visibly and proudly, this month and every other.”

Contributing: Mike Murphy, Democrat and Chronicle; Ed Palattella, Erie-Times News; Jose Gonzalez, Arizona Republic; Marc Ramirez, Krystal Nurse, Paste BN.

Madison Scott can be reached at MDScott@gannett.com.