7 people charged in death of Sam Nordquist plead not guilty to torturing and killing the transgender man
Seven people pleaded not guilty to charges in the killing of Sam Nordquist, a Black transgender 24-year-old man who was allegedly held captive and tortured in an upstate New York hotel room for more than a month.
Seven people pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a long list of charges in the killing of Sam Nordquist, a Black transgender man who was allegedly held captive and tortured in an upstate New York hotel room for more than a month before succumbing to his torment.
Nordquist's former partner, Precious Arzuaga, and six others pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, second-degree murder, kidnapping, conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child and concealment of a human corpse. If convicted of first-degree murder, New York state’s heaviest penalty, the defendants could spend the rest of their lives in prison without parole.
Four of them, including Arzuaga, also pleaded not guilty to aggravated sexual abuse charges, and Arzuaga pleaded not guilty to coercion.
The 11-count indictment issued last week outlined Nordquist's gruesome torment, which included beatings, hitting, kicking, punching, inserting an object into his anus, starvation, forced consumption of feces, urine and tobacco juice. Two young children were also coerced to partake in his torture, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors said last week that Nordquist, 24, was tortured from Jan. 1 to Feb. 2. Authorities found Nordquist’s body in a farmer’s field in Yates County, New York, on Feb. 13.
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