2 more arrested in death of transgender man tortured in New York
Because Nordquist is a transgender man, his death sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community and sparked fears that his brutal murder could have been a hate crime.
Two more people have been arrested in connection with the death of a transgender man from Minnesota who investigators suspect was tortured for more than a month.
Seven total suspects have now been arrested and charged with second-degree murder after the body of 24-year-old Sam Nordquist was discovered dumped late last week in a field in upstate New York. Nordquist's death came months after he had traveled in September from Minnesota to meet people in Canandaigua near the Finger Lakes region who he had met on social media.
Because Nordquist is a transgender man, his death sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community and sparked fears that his brutal murder could have been a hate crime.
While James Ritts, the district attorney of Ontario County, New York, referred to Nordquist's death as "beyond depraved," investigators have since suggested that it likely was not a hate crime. Authorities have said Nordquist knew his assailants, who were also part of the LGBTQ+ community, but have yet to publicly identify a motive for his death.
2 more arrested in death of trans man Sam Nordquist
New York State Police announced the arrests Friday of 29-year-old Kimberly L. Sochia, of Canandaigua and 21-year-old Thomas G. Eaves, of Geneva.
Sochia and Eaves, who authorities said are suspected to have had a role in Nordquist's murder, were expected to soon make their first court appearance for an arraignment hearing. State police declined to comment on the suspects' alleged involvement in Nordquist's murder or their relationship to the other five suspects.
Their arrests Thursday come after state police previously announced the arrests of five others one week ago. Those arrested include Precious Arzuaga, 38, and Patrick Goodwin, 30, of Canandaigua, New York; Kyle Sage, 33, of Rochester, New York; Jennifer Quijano, 30, of Geneva, New York; and Emily Motyka, 19, of Lima, New York.
Those five who were initially arrested have since been indicted by a grand jury, the Ontario County District Attorney's office said Tuesday in a press release provided to Paste BN.
If convicted of second-degree murder, the seven suspects could face life in prison.
Who was Sam Nordquist and what happened to him?
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 the man was "subjected to prolonged physical and psychological abuse." Nordquist's remains were then found Feb. 13 in Benton, located less than 20 miles south of Canandaigua.
The five people initially suspected in connection with Nordquist's death were arrested the same day after police searched the Patty’s Lodge motel in Canandaigua, the last place Nordquist was known to be staying. Investigators also seized evidence, including electronic devices, clothing and other personal items that will be forensically analyzed, police said.
Capt. Kelly Swift of the state police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, referred to Nordquist's death as being related to "a deeply disturbing pattern of abuse" during a media briefing announcing the arrests.
"In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated," Swift added.
Police quell concerns death was hate crime
Because Nordquist is a transgender man, his family, including his mother Linda, told the Democrat & Chronicle last week they fear that the violence he endured before his death was a hate crime.
But investigators have since sought to quell those concerns.
In a joint news release Sunday, the Ontario County District Attorney and the New York State Police said they "understand the fear circulating amongst members of the LGBTQ+ community." Officials then revealed in the statement, obtained Monday by Paste BN, that the relationship between the suspects and Nordquist suggests it was not a hate crime.
Nordquist and those suspected in his death were known to each other, and all identified as LGBTQ+, authorities said. At least one of the suspects lived with Nordquist before his death, the statement added.
"We are still in the early stages of this investigation," according to a statement. "We urge the community not to speculate into the motive behind the murder as we work to find justice for Sam."
In response, LGBTQ+ advocacy organization GLAAD released a statement cautioning investigators from ruling out a hate crime so quickly.
"Anti-LGBTQ hate can be perpetuated by anyone, regardless of their relationship to the victim or their own gender identity or sexual orientation," GLAAD said.
A petition circulating online is calling for harsher penalties for those arrested and charged in connection with Nordquist's death.
LGBTQ+ community hosts vigils, share tributes for Nordquist
A vigil for Norquist held in New York on Monday by the Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes was filled with mourners, including his own family, who came together to honor the man.
"We know that the LGBTQ+ community is historically marginalized and faces violence in a much higher rate than outside of the community," Ashley Lewis, the group's vice president of operations, told the Chronicle. "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."
Another vigil, this one hosted by New Pride Agenda is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Church of the Village in New York City. The event is meant to remember Nordquist "and all trans/gender noncomforming lives lost this year," the group said in a press release to Paste BN.
Tributes for Nordquist have also poured in from across the nation from LGBTQ+ organizations and individual advocates.
OutFront Minnesota, the state's largest advocacy organization for LGBTQ+ issues, said "we must all commit ourselves to the work of ending violence and discrimination."
"We know this arrives at a time our trans communities are facing a relentless assault of harmful policy and rhetoric across our nation," the group said in a post on Instagram. We know that this landscape escalates and amplifies the individual risk of violence.
In Nordquist's home state of Minnesota, Minnesota Rep. Leigh Finke, the first openly transgender member of the state's legislature, shared a memorial post on Instragram.
"You deserved a whole life, full of love and joy and peace, and you instead received the cruelest violence imaginable," Finke said. "All of our love, to Sam, to his loved ones. We will never stop fighting for our freedom. Trans liberation now.”