WARNING: story contains graphic depictions of abuse and torture. Unthinkable crimes committed against a Minnesota transgender man in New York, with seven people now indicted.
"Sam was beaten, assaulted, sexually abused, starved, held captive, and we cannot make sense of that," said the Ontario County New York District Attorney Kelly Wolford, detailing the pain and suffering that Sam Nordquist went through while imprisoned in a small room of an upstate motel for a month before he died.
"He was forced to drink urine and chew spit," said the DA. They physically restrained him. They forced him to obey their commands, treating him like a dog."
The indictment came a day after Nordquist was laid to rest in his native state of Minnesota. Nordquist, a Black man, was transgender but authorities have said they have no evidence of a hate crime. There are alleged assailants who identified as LGBTQ+ and at least one lived with Nordquist, authorities said.
The 24-year-old set out from Oakdale, Minnesota, to Ontario County, New York in September to connect with a woman he had met online. That woman, Precious Arzuaga, is one of seven people charged in the indictment with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, conspiracy, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
"Sam was confined," Wolford explains. "He was forced to kneel and stand against a wall. He was physically assaulted. He was sexually assaulted. He was prevented from using his phone. He was denied proper nutrition and hydration. He was fed feces."
The seven are also charged with concealing Nordquist’s corpse, which they allegedly wrapped in plastic bags and dumped in a farmer’s field.
Wolford said the first-degree murder charges are the most significant penalty under New York state law. The charge require the prosecution to prove the defendants tortured Nordquist because they "enjoyed it."