The transgender man was physically tortured in a motel in upstate New York for over a month until he died, and dumped his body into an empty field in an attempt to hide a crime his attacker had “dead” He said that.
Five people were hit with murder charges in the death of Sam Nordquist. Sam Nordquist was collapsed, kicked, beaten with a stick, dog toy, rope cane and belt, and attacked with table legs and brooms for weeks before his death. According to court documents.
The 24-year-old Nordquist suffered “physical and psychological abuse” and “repeated acts of torture and violence,” which ultimately led to his death. I said at a press conference.
“In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most frightening crimes I've ever investigated,” Swift said.
The Minnesota native, Nordquist traveled to New York in September and was staying at the Lodge Motel in Pati with his precious Altourga in Canan Daigua. According to the police.
Nordquist's family asked the police to check him out after losing contact with him last month, and they were able to turn to Gofundme to collect money and travel to New York to find him.
He was on a trip to meet his online girlfriend and had a round-trip ticket, his sister Kayla wrote in a fundraiser.
Authorities began investigating missing people on February 9th, and on Thursday officers discovered “deeply disturbing abuse patterns” at the motel, Swift said.
In addition to Alzhaga, 38, of Geneva, New York, police arrested Jennifer A. Kijano, 30, of Geneva. Kyle Sage, 33, of Hopewell, New York; Patrick A. Goodwin and Emily Motica, 19, both Rochester, New York. All were hit with second-degree murder charges in connection with the death of the Nordquist.
All five were arrested and released on bail in the Ontario County Jail, district attorney Jim Ritz, who said he described the murder of the Nordquist as “above the fall.”
Swift said at a press conference that authorities had not ruled out the possibility that Nordquist's death was a hate crime, but added that an investigation was ongoing.
“This is the worst murder investigation our office has ever had,” Ritz said, adding, “No one has to endure what Sam has endured.”
