New York State Police charged five individuals on Friday in connection with the murder of a missing man who, according to authorities, was subjected to prolonged violence and torture for over a month before his body was discarded in a field.
The victim, Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old transgender man originally from Minnesota, was reported missing on February 9. Police stated that he had arrived in New York in September and subsequently lost contact with his loved ones.
Major Kevin Sucher, commander of the state police troop overseeing the Finger Lakes region, described the case as “beyond depraved” and “by far the worst” homicide investigation the department had ever encountered.
“No human being should have to endure what Sam endured,” Sucher said during a televised press conference. Authorities refrained from disclosing many details, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
When asked whether Nordquist’s torture and murder were being considered a hate crime, Capt. Kelly Swift of the New York State Police Troop E’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation stated that investigators had not ruled out the possibility but emphasized that inquiries were still ongoing. Authorities are also working to establish Nordquist’s relationship with the suspects, as well as the suspects’ connections to each other.
The individuals charged include Precious Arzuaga, 38, and Patrick Goodwin, 30, from Canandaigua, New York; Kyle Sage, 33, from Rochester, New York; Jennifer Quijano, 30, from Geneva, New York; and Emily Motyka, 19, from Lima, New York. All five face second-degree murder charges after police executed a search at Patty’s Lodge motel in Canandaigua, the last known location where Nordquist had been staying.
The suspects were taken into custody and remained detained pending their arraignment. It was not immediately clear if any of them had secured legal representation.
Swift stated that the investigation had uncovered a “deeply disturbing pattern of abuse” that ultimately led to Nordquist’s death, calling it “one of the most horrific crimes” she had investigated in her 20-year law enforcement career.
