A 24-year-old trans man from Minnesota, who has been missing since December, found his body this week in a field in the Finger Lakes district in upstate New York, suffered violence and torture.
Five people were arrested for their deaths and charged with murder, New York State Police said Friday. At least one of them is said to live with the victim in a motel.
According to Captain Kelly Swift of the State Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Department, the victim was identified as Sam Nordquist and suffered “repeated acts of violence and torture” between December and this month last year, according to Captain Kelly Swift of the State Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Department. .
“In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most terrible crimes I have ever investigated,” Captain Swift said in a press conference on Friday.
“The facts and circumstances of this crime are beyond the depravity” James Ritts, District Attorney for Ontario, New York, added
Five arrested people were charged with second-degree murder. They were identified as precious Arzuaga at 38; Jennifer A. Quijano, 30; Kyle Sage, 33; Patrick A. Goodwin, 30; Emily Motyka, 19. Police said the precious Arzuaga had been staying in the motel with Mr Nordquist and other unidentified people. Mr Goodwin has been listed as a registered sex offender in the state since 2015. The state lists its address as a motel.
State police began investigating Mr Nordquist’s disappearance on February 9 after receiving a request for welfare checks from his family, who told authorities they lost contact with him at the end of January.
According to law enforcement, Mr. Nordquist traveled from Minnesota to New York last September. He lives in Patty’s Lodge Motel, Hopewell, New York, in Ontario County, where state police executed a search warrant Thursday. That day, his body was found south of the motel in Benton Township, about 15 miles southeast of Yates County, New York, in the southeast of Yates County, New York.
State Police said Mr. Nordquist suffered “long-term physical and psychological abuse” before leaving the body in a neighboring county.
His mother, Linda Nordquist, told local TV station WROC on Friday that her son is a kind person loved by his family.
“He will give you a shirt,” Ms. Nordquist said. “Very kind, loved his family, loved his nieces and nephews, was very outgoing, worked hard.”
Ms Nordquist told the TV station that she last talked to her son on January 1.
“Say ‘I love you. I’ll call you tomorrow and I haven’t talked to Sam again since then,” Ms Nordquist added. “It’s heartbreaking. I’m very upset, I’m crying a lot.”
When asked about Mr Nordquist’s death as a hate crime, Captain Swift said that such a decision was not ruled out. There is no more possibility of arrest. Mr. Riz said the defendant was arraigned Friday morning and was held in prison Ontario County Jail No Bail.
Police cited an ongoing investigation, declining to comment on how the attackers led to Patty’s cottage, or their connection with Mr Nordquist.
Captain Swift said: “We know that the details of this case are disturbing and we want to assure the public that we are committed to seeking justice for Sam and his family.”
Jack Begg Contributed to the research.
