5 Charged with Murder of Transgender Man Violently Tortured for More Than a Month: DA

On Friday, five people were charged with the murder of Sam Nordquist, 24 (top left), a transgender man who told his family he’d arrived in New York in September before he lost contact with them, per The Associated Press.

Precious Arzuaga, 38 (top middle), Kyle Sage, 33 (top right), Patrick Goodwin, 30 (bottom left), Jennifer Quijano, 30 (bottom middle), and Emily Motyka, 19 (bottom right), have all been charged with second degree murder. As detailed by Crime Online, they’re also accused of violently torturing the victim for more than a month before killing him.

“In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated,” said New York State Police Captain Kelly Swift, as reported by ABC affiliate WHAM.

Nordquist had left Oakdale, Minnesota with roundtrip airfare for a two-week visit with Arzuaga, according to a statement from the Canandaigua Police Department shared to Missing People in America’s Facebook page.

He was last in contact with his relatives in late January and was last seen earlier this month. On February 9, police made contact with Azuaga in response to a welfare check from Nordquist’s family after they were unable to contact him, and his phone was going straight to voice mail.

Arzuaga’s son first told officers he had no idea who that was, before they later made contact with Arzuaga herself. She told them that he had left weeks ago and no longer lived there, per the Facebook share.

On Thursday, February 13, a search warrant was executed at Azuaga’s residence and Nordquist’s body was found in a field in Yates County.

Swift told the press their investigation determined that the suspect “endured prolonged physical and psychological abuse” and “repeated acts of violence and torture” in the time between early December and early February. In the Missing People in America share, it was stated that “Princess has been controlling Sam.”

According to the complaint, as detailed by WHAM, Nordquist was sexually assaulted with a table leg and broomsticks, beaten with sticks, dog toys, ropes, and bents until he died. His body was then “transported in an attempt to conceal the crime,” according to Swift.

“The facts and the circumstances of this crime are beyond depraved,” District Attorney Jim Ritts told the media. “This is by far the worst homicide investigation that our office has ever been a part of. It is an ongoing investigation, so we are necessarily limited in the things that we can talk about. But no human being should have to endure what Sam endured.”

Ritts did say that authorities have not ruled out the possibility that Nordquist was the victim of a hate crime. “We will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to make sure this investigation moves — and that we move forward appropriately so that the family can have closure.”

All five suspects were arraigned overnight Thursday and are being held without bail in the Ontario County Jail.