Authorities have revealed disturbing new details about the alleged torture that Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old Black transgender man who was found dead in upstate New York last month, was subjected to before his death.
Seven people have been charged with first-degree murder, battery and a slew of other charges, according to an indictment released by the Ontario County district attorney on Wednesday.
In the indictment, prosecutors allege that the defendants tortured Nordquist for one month before his death. Assistant DA Kelly Wolford said at a news conference that Nordquist was physically and sexually assaulted; denied proper nutrition and hydration; forced to consume feces, urine and tobacco juice; and had his face covered with fabric and bleached poured on him.
They treated him “like a dog,” Wolford said, alleging that the defendants physically restrained him and forced him to obey commands.
One of the suspects, Precious Arzuaga, is also accused of coercing a 7-year-old and a 12-year-old to participate in Nordquist’s alleged torture, prosecutors say.
The six others charged are Jennifer Quijano, 30; Kyle Sage, 33; Patrick Goodwin, 30; Emily Motyka, 19; Thomas G. Eaves, 21; and Kimberly Sochia, 29. The Office of the Ontario County Conflict Defender, which is representing the seven suspects, declined to comment on the indictment to NBC News.
The New York Times reports that two of the attorneys “said they learned of the indictment from news outlets; several said they were reviewing the new charges and expected their clients to be arraigned next week.” The Times spoke to a lawyer for Quijano who said: “It is important to let the legal process play out and to not rush to judgment.”
Nordquist’s family has said he traveled to New York in late September to meet Arzuaga, 38, with whom he had developed a relationship online. He had planned to return to Minnesota two weeks later, and his mother requested a welfare check when he did not return. His family last heard from him in January, according to the missing persons report.
His remains were found in February in a field in Yates County, about 50 miles south of Rochester.








