Two Women Sentenced to Life for Torturing and Murdering Trans Man Sam Nordquist
Nordquist was killed last year after authorities said he was tortured for more than a month.
On Tuesday, two women were sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Sam Nordquist.
Nordquist, a 24-year-old Black transgender man from Minnesota, was brutally assaulted and abused for weeks before New York state authorities discovered his remains last year. Authorities say Nordquist had been tortured for more than a month before he was killed.
Precious Arzuaga, his girlfriend, and Jennifer Ouijano were sentenced on charges including first-degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, concealment of a human corpse, and endangering the welfare of a child, CBS News reports.
Nordquist’s sister, Kayla Nordquist, spoke to reporters after the sentencing.
“It’s hard to not want to jump over there and do what she did to my brother,” Kayla Nordquist told local station WROC. “It’s hard to try to hold composure, to be the adult, to be a human. It was hard to be next to the devil and not turn into a demon.”
His mother, Linda Nordquist, spoke in court, saying Nordquist was someone who “loved deeply, trusted completely, and always wanted people around him to feel accepted.”
Emily Motyka pleaded guilty already to one count each of second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping. Last month, Kyle Sage pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping charges. Kimberly Sochia, Thomas Eaves and Patrick Goodwin are also charged in connection to Nordquist’s killing.
Authorities said they have no evidence Nordquist’s death was a hate crime.
