Overview
- Two defendants, Precious Arzuaga and Jennifer Quijano, were sentenced to life in prison without parole on Sept. 8, 2026 after pleading guilty to first‑degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse and related counts.
- Prosecutors say Nordquist, a 24‑year‑old Black transgender man from Minnesota, was lured to Canandaigua in September 2024 and held, tortured and abused at Patty’s Lodge (Room 22) from Jan. 1 to Feb. 2, 2025 before his body was found in a Yates County field in mid‑February 2025.
- Court testimony and filings described repeated beatings, sexual assaults, caging and video recordings of the abuse, and prosecutors said Arzuaga and Quijano coerced Arzuaga’s young children to take part in some attacks.
- Seven people were charged in the case; Emily Motyka and Kyle Sage have pleaded guilty and await sentencing, and three defendants — Patrick Goodwin, Kimberly Sochia and Thomas Eaves — are scheduled for trial in early 2027 if they do not plead.
- Federal prosecutors have been present at recent hearings and continue to assess possible federal charges, a development that could bring different penalties and keeps the legal process active beyond the state convictions.