What happened to Sam Nordquist? Police quell concerns of transgender hate crime
New York law enforcement officials revealed Sunday they have not found evidence of a hate crime in the murder of Sam Nordquist, a transgender man who police believe was tortured for more than a month.
Nordquist, 24, was found dead in an upstate New York field last week and police said he had been "subjected to ongoing physical abuse." In announcing the arrests of five suspects Friday, officials said they had not yet ruled out a hate crime.
But in a joint news release Sunday, the Ontario County District Attorney and the New York State Police revealed the relationship between the suspects and Nordquist suggests it was not a hate crime.
"(We) would like to address multiple inquiries from across our community, New York State, and the entire nation," the release stated. "We are still in the early stages of this investigation. ... We urge the community not to speculate into the motive behind the murder as we work to find justice for Sam."
Suspects knew Nordquist and were part of LGBTQ+ community, police say
The five people suspected in connection with Nordquist's death were arrested after police searched the Patty’s Lodge motel in Canandaigua, New York, the last place Nordquist was known to be staying.
Those arrested include Precious Arzuaga, 38, and Patrick Goodwin, 30, of Canandaigua; Kyle Sage, 33, of Rochester, New York; Jennifer Quijano, 30, of Geneva, New York; and Emily Motyka, 19, of Lima, New York. All five were charged with second-degree murder and were denied bail after making an initial court appearance for an arraignment hearing, James Ritts, the district attorney of Ontario County, New York, said in a Friday media briefing.
"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 news release obtained Monday by Paste BN stated.
'One of the most horrific crimes': What happened to Sam Nordquist?
Nordquist's family told the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, part of the Paste BN Network, that he had bought a round-trip plane ticket from Minnesota to New York in September after he met a woman online in July. Nordquist was due to fly back in October, but never got on the plane, his family said.
Nordquist's sister, Kayla, said the family reported him missing Feb. 9 after they were unable to get ahold of him and it appeared his phone was off.
Detectives with the state police who began investigating Nordquist's disappearance eventually uncovered evidence indicating that he was "subjected to prolonged physical and psychological abuse." Nordquist's remains were then found last week in Benton, located less than 20 miles south of Canandaigua.
"Our investigation has revealed a deeply disturbing pattern of abuse that ultimately resulted in Sam's tragic death," Capt. Kelly Swift of the state police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation said at the media briefing. "In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated."
An autopsy will be conducted on Nordquist's remains by the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office, police said.
"The District Attorney’s Office is committed to providing a safe community for all people. We share the community’s shock at such a heinous act of violence, and understand the fear circulating amongst members of the LGBTQ+ community," Sunday's news release stated.
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at Paste BN. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com, and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley