Overview

• Seven suspects, aged 19 to 38, have been indicted on charges including first-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy in the torture and killing of Sam Nordquist, a transgender man from Minnesota.
• Prosecutors allege Nordquist was held captive for over a month, enduring severe physical and psychological abuse, including being starved, sexually assaulted, and treated inhumanely before being killed.
• One suspect, Precious Arzuaga, faces additional charges of coercing two children, ages 7 and 12, into participating in the abuse, which authorities described as deeply disturbing and life-altering for the children.
• Authorities declined to pursue hate crime charges, stating that the case goes beyond hate crimes due to the extreme and sadistic nature of the acts committed against Nordquist.
• Nordquist's remains were discovered in February 2025 in a field in New York, weeks after his family reported him missing; he had traveled to the state in late 2024 after meeting a woman online.