Precious Arzuaga Gets Life Without Parole for 24-Year-Old Sam Nordquist's Torture and Murder
Updated
Updated · 13WHAM-TV · Sep 8
Precious Arzuaga Gets Life Without Parole for 24-Year-Old Sam Nordquist's Torture and Murder
3 articles · Updated · 13WHAM-TV · Sep 8
Summary
Judge Kristina Karle sentenced Precious Arzuaga to life without parole in Ontario County after Arzuaga pleaded guilty to murdering Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old transgender man from Minnesota.
Prosecutors said Nordquist was tortured from Jan. 1 to Feb. 2, 2025, after traveling to New York in September 2024; his body was found in a Yates County field on Feb. 13, 2025.
Family statements framed the killing as a betrayal of trust, with Nordquist's mother saying he came to the Finger Lakes region looking for love and trusted Arzuaga.
Seven defendants were charged in the case; Emily Motyka, Jennifer Quijano and Kyle Sage have also pleaded guilty, while Patrick Goodwin, Kimberly Sochia and Thomas Eaves still await separate trials.