New York State Police say that a transgender man was tortured and beaten for more than a month in what officials described as a "depraved" killing.
Five people were charged in the death of 24-year-old Sam Nordquist, with authorities clarifying that the killing was not a hate crime, CBS News reported.
"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," police and prosecutors said in joint press release.
A hate crime in New York state is defined as a crime where the victim is targeted specifically because of their race, gender, sexual orientation or religious practices.
"[We] are 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. We will follow any and all leads to ensure that the motive for this murder is uncovered," police and prosecutors said in a statement.
Charged with second-degree murder are: 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, the outlet detailed.
Nordquist was originally from Minnesota and was reported missing on Feb. 9. His body was later found in a field. The five individuals were charged after police searched a room at a motel in Canandaigua, believed to be Nordquiest's final residence, CBS News reported.
Police said Nordquist was beaten and hit with numerous objects over the course of a month, resulting in his death. State Police Major Kevin Sucher told CBS News that the case was "beyond depraved" and "by far the worst" homicide investigation he'd dealt with.
Two of the five individuals charged with second-degree murder in the case had previous convictions related to sex offenses against minors, KARE-11 reported. Goodwin was sentenced to 10 1/2 years in prison in 2015 for first-degree sexual abuse of a 7-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl. He was released in 2023.
Sage was previously sentenced to two to four years in prison in 2022 for fourth-degree grand larceny and first-degree distribution of pornography to a minor, the station reported. Sage was released in 2024.
"These people that did this to him are pure evil; they're not even human," Sam's mom, Linda, told KARE-11. She told the station that Sam went to New York state in 2024 to meet Arzuaga, his online girlfriend.
