Seven people are accused of killing a 24-year-old man in upstate New York after subjecting him to weeks of torture, including sexual assault, forcing him to eat feces, and pouring bleach on him, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The disturbing allegations came as the suspects were indicted on first-degree murder charges in Sam Nordquist’s death, which was discovered last month wrapped in plastic and dumped in a field in the Finger Lakes region.
The group, which had previously been arrested for second-degree murder, was also charged with kidnapping and child endangerment in the 11-count indictment.
Nordquist, a Black man from Minnesota, was transgender, but authorities have found no evidence of a hate crime. According to authorities, the alleged assailants identified as LGBTQ+, and at least one of them lived with Nordquist.
While not a hate crime, Ontario County Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford stated at a news conference that Nordquist was treated “like a dog” in the month leading up to his death on February 2.
“Sam was beaten, assaulted, sexually abused, starved, held captive and we cannot make sense of that,” Wolford told reporters. “We cannot attribute that to his gender or race.
And I know many people will ask why. As I stand here today as a human being, we will never know why.
Wolford claimed the top charge was elevated to first-degree murder because Nordquist was tortured.
Precious Arzuaga, one of the defendants, was charged with coercing two children, ages seven and twelve, into participating in the activity described in the indictment.
Patrick Goodwin, Kyle Sage, Jennifer Quijano, Emily Motyka, Kimberly Sochia, and Thomas Eaves are the remaining six people charged with murder.
There was no arraignment date.
Emails and messages were left with the attorneys for six of the defendants on Wednesday.
Nordquist was reported missing on February 9. Police said he arrived in New York in September and had lost contact with family members this year.
The initial arrests were made after police searched a room at the Patty’s Lodge motel in Canandaigua, New York, where Nordquist was last known to be staying.
Nordquist’s mother told Syracuse.com that he left Minnesota for New York in September to meet a woman with whom he had become romantically involved after connecting online.
Linda Nordquist explained that her son was supposed to fly home in October but decided to stay longer to work on the relationship.
