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Two women sentenced to life in prison for torture, death of Minnesota native Sam Nordquist
On Tuesday, Ontario County Judge Kristina Karle sentenced Precious Arzuaga and Jennifer Quijano to life in prison without parole for the 2025 torture and murder of 24-year-old Sam Nordquist, a transgender man from Minnesota.
Nordquist traveled to New York in September 2024 to visit Arzuaga, whom he met online, but was held captive for weeks at a motel in Hopewell before being killed in early 2025.
Prosecutors described Arzuaga as the "ringleader" orchestrating the abuse, while Ontario County Assistant District Attorney Sara Van Strydonck called Quijano "the muscle," citing evidence defendants beat Nordquist with household objects and confined him in a cage.
Ontario County Judge Kristina Karle told Arzuaga, "Sam came here looking for love, and sadly and tragically he found you," while Nordquist's family delivered impact statements describing their profound loss.
While Kyle Sage and Emily Motyka have pleaded guilty and await sentencing, Patrick Goodwin, Kimberly Sochia, and Thomas Eaves remain in custody facing trial in January 2027.