The mother of Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old murder victim who was allegedly tortured for weeks before being killed by five individuals, fondly remembers him as someone with a kind and caring nature.
In September, Nordquist, a transgender man, traveled more than 1,000 miles from Oakdale, Minnesota, to Canandaigua, New York, to meet up with a woman he had been involved with in an online relationship.
Upon reaching Canandaigua, Nordquist stayed at Patty’s Lodge motel with Precious Arzuaga, 38, situated around 28 miles southeast of Rochester, according to the New York State Police.
However, after January 1, Nordquist stopped communicating with his family, prompting them to file a welfare check request on February 9.
Days later, Nordquist’s remains, showing signs of torture, were found in a field in Yates County on February 13.
“Sam was subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture in a manner that ultimately led to his death,” NYS Police Captain Kelly Swift said.
Investigators said evidence suggests Nordquist suffered “prolonged physical and psychological abuse” between last December and February.
Nordquist was punched, kicked, beaten with sticks, dog toys, rope canes and belts, and assaulted with a leg table and a broomstick, according to court documents.
“In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated,” Swift added.
“No human being should have to endure what Sam endured.”
‘HEART OF GOLD’
Nordquist’s mother, Linda, described how her son sounded “sad, really sad” when she last spoke to him on January 1.
“The last thing Sam said is, ‘I love you, and I’ll call you tomorrow,'” Linda told NBC affiliate KARE.
“Tomorrow came and I never heard a word.
“He sounded sad, really sad. And Sam is an outgoing person,” she recalled.
The grieving mother said her son was an animal lover who worked at a group home in Oakdale for vulnerable adults.
“He had a heart of gold and wouldn’t hurt anybody,” Linda added.
“This is so devastating. Sam did not deserve this. Nobody deserves this type of torment that he had to endure.”
These people that did this to Sam are pure evil. They’re not even human.
Linda Nordquist.
Investigators believe Nordquist was killed between January 1 and January 2 before being dumped in a field in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York.
On Friday, authorities announced the arrest of five people in connection with Nordquist’s death.
FIVE SUSPECTS ARRESTED
The suspects were identified as Jennifer Quijano, 30, Kyle Sage, 33, Patrick Goodwin, 30, Emily Motyka, 19, and Nordquist’s online girlfriend, Arzuaga.
Goodwin is listed as a registered sex offender in New York State for a case from 2015.
He had been living at Patty’s Lodge motel at the time of his arrest.
While Sage spent two years behind bars in 2022 for fourth-degree grand larceny and first-degree distribution of pornography to a minor. She was released in May 2024.
The five individuals were all charged with second-degree murder and are being held in jail without bond.
“These people that did this to Sam are pure evil,” mom Linda mourned to KARE.
“They’re not even human. We will get justice for you, Sam, even if it takes the last breath out of me, you will have justice.”
Ontario County District Attorney Jim Ritts described the details of the crime as “beyond depraved.”
Investigators said while the investigation is ongoing, there is no indication that Nordquist’s death was a hate crime.
The Ontario County District Attorney’s Office said Nordquist’s “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.”
A motive behind the killing has not been established.
“We urge the community not to speculate into the motive behind the murder as we work to find justice for Sam,” the office added.
Authorities are still working on determining the relationship of the suspects.
