Two women sentenced to life without parole for torturing and killing Sam Nordquist
A judge in western New York on Sept. 8 sentenced two women to life in prison without parole for torturing and killing Sam Nordquist, a trans man, in western New York early last year. Nordquist, who was 24 at the time of his death, traveled from his home state of Minnesota in September of 2024 … Read More
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A judge in western New York on Sept. 8 sentenced two women to life in prison without parole for torturing and killing Sam Nordquist, a trans man, in western New York early last year.
Nordquist, who was 24 at the time of his death, traveled from his home state of Minnesota in September of 2024 to meet one of the two individuals who were sentenced, Precious Arzuaga, in Canandaigua. Nordquist planned to stay for two weeks, but instead, he gradually lost touch with his family and was tortured from Jan. 1 until his death on Feb. 2 of last year in a room at Patty's Lodge in Hopewell, New York, which is southeast of Rochester in the Finger Lakes region.
Before they were sentenced, Arzuaga, 40, who prosecutors said was the ringleader, and Jennifer Quijano, 32, had already pleaded guilty to all counts, including first-degree murder, kidnapping, conspiracy, concealing a human corpse, and endangering the welfare of a child. Five other individuals have faced charges in the case, according to the New York Times; two other defendants, Emily Motyka and Kyle Sage, pleaded guilty and three are scheduled to go to trial next year.
The disturbing case drew national attention and community members organized vigils to remember Nordquist. In New York City, PFLAG NY, New Pride Agenda, Ali Forney Center, New York Transgender Advocacy Group, Reclaim Pride Coalition, and Trans formative Schools hosted a gathering at the Church of the Village in February of last year to mourn Nordquist.
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Community members lay flowers down in honor of Sam Nordquist at a vigil in New York City in 2025.Donna Aceto[/caption]
Sara Van Strydonck, an assistant district attorney in Ontario County, New York, said during the Sept. 8 sentencing that Quijano was motivated by jealousy. Arzuaga and Quijano were previously in a relationship.
“This isn’t about Sam being transgender or Precious commanding Jennifer to do something,” Van Strydonck said, according to the New York Times. “It’s that Sam had Precious’s attention, and she hated him for that.”
Arzuaga's two children, a 7-year-old and 12-year-old, were forced to participate in the crimes, while her 22-year-old son, Thomas Eaves, was one of the people charged in the case. The judge directed Arzuaga to ban her from seeing her children for life.
“Sam felt pain for days and weeks on end, and you could have ended it,” Judge Kristina A. Karle of Ontario County Court said. “This was someone who was good. Everything you are not.”
Nordquist stopped responding to family members on Jan. 1, a time when prosecutors said he was sexually assaulted and beaten, starved of food or water, and died on Feb. 2. His body was found weeks later in a trash bag on a farm about 15 miles away.
Family members delivered emotional impact statements in the courtroom during the sentencing. Nordquist's mother, Linda Nordquist, spoke directly to Arzuaga, saying, “Precious, out of every person involved in this case, you knew exactly why Sam came here. He trusted you. He believed you cared for him.”
Nordquist's sister, Kayla Nordquist, said she sometimes wonders whether her brother would still be alive "if just one person had chosen differently."
"If one person said this is wrong," she said. "If one person helped him escape. If one person treated him as a human instead of an object that could be controlled."
Following the sentencing, New Pride Agenda executive director Kei Williams, who delivered remarks at the 2025 vigil for Nordquist in New York City, said the case shows how trans individuals continue to face violence.
“[The Sept. 8] sentences provide some measure of justice for Sam, his loved ones, and a community still grieving his loss," Williams said. "But no sentence can undo the cruelty Sam endured or return him to the people who loved him. His murder is also a devastating reminder that even here in New York, transgender and gender nonconforming people face profound violence."
Community members lay flowers down in honor of Sam Nordquist at a vigil in New York City in 2025.Donna Aceto[/caption]
Sara Van Strydonck, an assistant district attorney in Ontario County, New York, said during the Sept. 8 sentencing that Quijano was motivated by jealousy. Arzuaga and Quijano were previously in a relationship.
“This isn’t about Sam being transgender or Precious commanding Jennifer to do something,” Van Strydonck said, according to the New York Times. “It’s that Sam had Precious’s attention, and she hated him for that.”
Arzuaga's two children, a 7-year-old and 12-year-old, were forced to participate in the crimes, while her 22-year-old son, Thomas Eaves, was one of the people charged in the case. The judge directed Arzuaga to ban her from seeing her children for life.
“Sam felt pain for days and weeks on end, and you could have ended it,” Judge Kristina A. Karle of Ontario County Court said. “This was someone who was good. Everything you are not.”
Nordquist stopped responding to family members on Jan. 1, a time when prosecutors said he was sexually assaulted and beaten, starved of food or water, and died on Feb. 2. His body was found weeks later in a trash bag on a farm about 15 miles away.
Family members delivered emotional impact statements in the courtroom during the sentencing. Nordquist's mother, Linda Nordquist, spoke directly to Arzuaga, saying, “Precious, out of every person involved in this case, you knew exactly why Sam came here. He trusted you. He believed you cared for him.”
Nordquist's sister, Kayla Nordquist, said she sometimes wonders whether her brother would still be alive "if just one person had chosen differently."
"If one person said this is wrong," she said. "If one person helped him escape. If one person treated him as a human instead of an object that could be controlled."
Following the sentencing, New Pride Agenda executive director Kei Williams, who delivered remarks at the 2025 vigil for Nordquist in New York City, said the case shows how trans individuals continue to face violence.
“[The Sept. 8] sentences provide some measure of justice for Sam, his loved ones, and a community still grieving his loss," Williams said. "But no sentence can undo the cruelty Sam endured or return him to the people who loved him. His murder is also a devastating reminder that even here in New York, transgender and gender nonconforming people face profound violence." 
