Five people have been charged in New York with murder after police say they tortured and killed a 24-year-old transgender man from Minnesota. According to the authorities, Sam Norquist’s body was found in a field in Yates County after enduring months of torture.
In a GoFundMe, Sam’s sister, Kayla, noted that he traveled to New York in late September to meet his online girlfriend. The last time the family heard from Sam was on Jan. 1. Since the launch of the donation page, Sam Norquist’s body was found.
According to troopers, Patty’s Lodge Motel was the last location where Nordquist was known to be staying, and that’s where they located the people involved with his alleged torture and murder. They are charged with second-degree murder.
News 10 reports:
At a news conference on Friday, Captain Kelly Swift of the NYSP Bureau of Criminal Investigations said Nordquist endured “prolonged physical and physiological abuse” starting in December.
Michelle Pickard, a family friend, was at Friday’s press conference while the family traveled from Minnesota. “It’s disgusting the things that are out there. I just pray for Sam. I pray for her family and her friends.”
“In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated,” Swift said.
Police made the arrests after searching a room at Patty’s Lodge Motel in Hopewell, Ontario County, on Feb. 13. Troopers didn’t specify exactly where the abuse happened.
“Our investigation has revealed a deeply disturbing pattern of abuse that ultimately resulted in Sam’s tragic death,” Swift said.
“Everybody was here. They loved Sam, and they were devastated by what’s happened to Sam. But they’ve all come together, and it’s a terrible thing that happened. But it’s a nice thing to see the community come together and work together. For Sam,” Pickard shared.
The five individuals arrested 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 facts and the circumstances of this crime are beyond depraved,” District Attorney Jim Ritts said. “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.”
The trans community needs to be protected. I said what I said.
