Two of the people responsible for the murder of a transgender Minnesotan in New York state, Sam Nordquist, were sentenced to life in prison yesterday.
We briefly mentioned Sam in June of last year while discussing the fear of violence that every LGBTQ+ person faces in their day to day life, highlighting that the case would not be prosecuted as a hate crime.
Precious Arzuaga and Jennifer Quijano, who pleaded guilty to all charges (first-degree murder, kidnapping, conspiracy and concealment of a human corpse), were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the highest sentence allowable in New York since the death penalty was abolished in 2004. Arzuaga and Quijano remain the subjects of a federal investigation that could result in capital punishment.
Five other people were indicted in Sam’s murder. Two pleaded guilty and await sentencing, while three others have trials scheduled to begin next year.
Sam traveled to New York from Minnesota in September of 2024 to live with Precious Arzuaga after starting a relationship with her online. According to his mother, Linda Nordquist, Sam’s calls home became less and less frequent, and stopped entirely in January of 2025. He died on February 2, and his body was moved to woodlands nearby in an attempt to conceal the crime.
Sam’s mother Linda and sister Kayla presented victim impact statements at the hearing. Addressing Precious Arzuaga directly, Linda said, “Out of every person involved in this case, you knew exactly why Sam came here: He trusted you, he believed you cared for him. Because of you … he left behind his home, his family, the people who truly loved him. Without your deception, my son may never have stepped foot into New York, and he may still be alive today … you used his trust and vulnerability to lure him into the nightmare that ended his life.”
In her own statement, Kayla said, “The loss of Sam has changed every part of my life. I carry this grief with me everywhere I go. Some days, I’m overwhelmed by silence. Some days, I’m consumed by anger. And some days, I have to fight with everything I have just to be present for my own children. Because the truth is, the world does not feel the same without Sam in it. My children adored their uncle Sam. They loved his humor, they loved his personality, they loved the way he made them laugh. They should have had years and years with him. Instead, they have memories… and memories are not enough.”
Speaking to the depth of loss the Nordquists have experienced, Kayla went on to say, “I cannot give them back the uncle they lost. I cannot fill the hole that his absence has left in our family. The truth is that Sam’s death did not just take one life, it shattered an entire family. It robbed my children of their uncle, it robbed me of my brother, my best friend, my favorite person… and it robbed this world of a genuinely good human being, whose greatest flaw was believing in the goodness of others.”
Judge Kristina A. Karle, who sentenced the pair, made her own feelings clear in the courtroom.
“We all want to know why someone so good was taken so tragically,” she said. “Was it because Sam was everything you’re not, and will never be? … No one deserves this, but this is someone who was good. Everything that you are not.”
Perhaps uncharacteristic of courtroom proceedings, when Arzuaga was led away by bailiffs, the crowd broke out cheering and clapping. Some onlookers heckled Arzuaga, calling her “the devil.”
Sam’s mother insists that his memory will endure, however, saying, “His story will never be defined by the cruelty you set into motion. He will be defined by the kindness, compassion, and the love he carried throughout his life.” To that end, Sam’s family honored his life at Rochester’s first Trans Pride Festival just last weekend, presenting the first Sam’s Legacy Award to a local trans advocate, Brittan Bowick-Hardgers.
Sam Nordquist’s memory will be kept alive by his family in the years to come, and that’s worth celebrating.
