Black Trans Man brutally tortured for weeks, killed amidst growing transphobia
“In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated" - NY State Police Captain Kelly Swift
It started with a missing person report. Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old Black trans man from Minnesota, hadn’t been heard from in weeks …
In September 2024, he moved to New York to meet an online girlfriend, staying at a boarding house called Patty’s Lodge in Hopewell, NY. His family tried to remain hopeful, thinking perhaps he was just out of touch. But by February 9, 2025, their concern turned into fear. They contacted the New York State Police, asking for a welfare check.
The investigation revealed something far worse than anyone had imagined. Four days later, officers discovered human remains in a field in rural Yates County. The body was believed to be Sam’s. As details emerged, it became clear that his disappearance had taken a horrifying turn.
Sam had been held captive and subjected to months of physical and psychological abuse between December 2024 and February 2025. According to investigators, he was tortured repeatedly during that time by the very people he had been living with at Patty’s Lodge. The abuse was unrelenting, ultimately leading to his death. Afterward, the suspects transported his body to a remote field and attempted to cover their tracks by hiding his remains.
“This is one of the most horrific crimes I’ve ever investigated in my 20-year career,” said Capt. Kelly Swift of the New York State Police. “No human being should have to endure what Sam endured.”
The crime shocked even the most seasoned investigators. Multiple search warrants were executed at locations tied to the suspects, where officers seized clothing, personal effects, and electronic devices for further forensic analysis. The evidence painted a disturbing picture of the months leading up to Sam’s death.
Five Arrested in Connection with Sam’s Death
After an extensive investigation involving multiple search warrants and forensic analysis of evidence, five individuals were arrested and charged with second-degree murder with depraved indifference:
Precious Arzuaga (38), Geneva, NY
Jennifer A. Quijano (30), Geneva, NY
Kyle Sage (33), Hopewell, NY
Patrick A. Goodwin (30), Rochester, NY
Emily Motyka (19), Rochester, NY
Each suspect has been arraigned and is being held without bail at the Ontario County Jail. If convicted, they face up to life in prison.
Investigators are still trying to determine the nature of the relationship between Sam and the suspects. While the case has not officially been classified as a hate crime, authorities have not ruled out the possibility.
The Broader Crisis: An Epidemic of Violence Against Transgender and Gender-Expansive People
Sam Nordquist’s tragic death is not an isolated incident—it is part of a larger, deeply troubling pattern. Over the past decade, violence against transgender and gender-expansive people in the United States has escalated at an alarming rate. The Human Rights Campaign’s 2024 report on fatal violence highlights a grim reality: at least 36 transgender and gender-expansive people have been killed in the last year alone. This number, experts agree, likely underrepresents the true scale of the violence due to misreporting, misgendering, and systemic undercounting.
The victims are not just numbers. They were people with dreams, families, and communities. More than half of them were Black trans women—a group disproportionately affected by fatal violence, driven by a toxic combination of racism, misogyny, transphobia, and systemic inequality.
The Numbers Tell a Harrowing Story
Since 2013, over 372 transgender and gender-expansive people have been victims of fatal violence in the U.S.
84% of victims were people of color, and more than two-thirds identified as Black.
Transgender women account for 82.8% of all victims, with Black transgender women making up the majority.
Nearly 70% of these murders involved firearms, underscoring the intersection of gun violence and hate-motivated crimes.
Many victims were under 35 years old, with some as young as 14.
This epidemic isn’t just about individual acts of violence; it reflects systemic discrimination at every level. Black transgender women, in particular, exist at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities, making them targets for violence in both public and private spaces. Homelessness, economic insecurity, and barriers to healthcare further increase vulnerability.
In the past year, 16.7% of the victims were experiencing homelessness at the time of their deaths—a heartbreaking statistic that reflects the lack of safe housing and resources available to the transgender community. Being forced into survival economies such as sex work, which itself is criminalized and stigmatized, heightens the risk of violence.
A Long History of Systemic Oppression
The violence faced by transgender and gender-expansive individuals today is part of a broader historical pattern of systemic oppression rooted in colonialism, patriarchal control, and attempts to enforce rigid gender norms. Throughout history, these oppressive structures have sought to control bodies, identities, and behaviors that do not conform to dominant norms—often with brutal consequences.
The Role of Colonialism
Colonial powers played a significant role in shaping the world’s understanding of gender and sexuality by introducing binary concepts of male and female, while systematically erasing Indigenous practices that embraced gender diversity. In pre-colonial societies across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, diverse gender identities and expressions were often accepted and even celebrated. Indigenous North American cultures recognized Two-Spirit people, while South Asian societies honored hijras: individuals who did not fit within binary gender norms.
However, colonial authorities sought to stamp out these traditions as part of their broader mission to impose "civilization." Colonial-era laws criminalized same-sex relationships and non-binary gender expressions, often equating them with immorality or criminality. For example, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code—introduced by the British in 1860—criminalized "carnal intercourse against the order of nature," a law that spread to numerous British colonies and still exists in some forms today.
In addition to legal oppression, colonial regimes institutionalized gender-based surveillance and violence. In India, the British classified hijras as a "criminal tribe," subjecting them to relentless policing and public humiliation. Similarly, cross-dressing laws and vagrancy laws were used across the British Empire to control non-conforming gender expressions.
Gendercide: A Weapon of Erasure
What we see in the violence today can be described as a form of gendercide: a deliberate and systemic attempt to erase trans and gender-expansive individuals. This concept extends beyond physical violence to include social and political exclusion, which collectively aims to eliminate non-conforming identities from public life.
In ancient and medieval Europe, gender non-conforming individuals were often accused of witchcraft and executed. In more recent history, Nazi Germany targeted transgender and queer individuals during the Holocaust, forcing them into concentration camps where they were subjected to brutal medical experiments and extermination.
Today, gendercide manifests in various ways—state-sanctioned violence, denial of access to healthcare, and discriminatory laws that strip transgender people of their basic rights and protections. For example, in countries like Uganda and Malaysia, colonial-era laws that criminalize gender expression have been reinforced and weaponized by modern governments to silence LGBTQ+ communities.
My video on the term “Gendercide” below:
Contemporary Implications and the Legacy of Colonial Violence
The repercussions of these historical injustices are far-reaching. Many modern anti-LGBTQ+ laws are direct descendants of colonial legislation, perpetuating cycles of marginalization and violence. Moreover, the social stigma rooted in these historical narratives continues to fuel discrimination today. In 2024 alone, numerous governments proposed laws to further restrict the rights of transgender people, emboldened by growing anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. This is not just a modern crisis, it is a continuation of centuries of systemic oppression, reinforced by structures of power that have long sought to erase gender diversity.
To truly address this crisis, we must confront and dismantle these systems. Recognizing the historical context of transphobic violence allows us to see it not as a series of isolated incidents but as part of a broader legacy of control and erasure. Only by understanding these historical roots can we hope to build a future where transgender and gender-expansive people are not only safe but celebrated for who they are.
What Can Be Done?
Ending this epidemic requires both immediate action and long-term systemic change. Here’s what experts and advocates recommend:
Ban the "Trans Panic" Defense: This legal strategy, still allowed in 30 states, lets perpetrators justify violence against trans people by claiming they were provoked by the victim’s gender identity.
Expand Data Collection and Reporting: Accurate data is crucial to understanding and addressing the crisis. Currently, many jurisdictions fail to report gender identity in hate crime statistics.
Support Community Resources: Access to safe housing, affirming healthcare, and community support can drastically reduce the risks faced by transgender individuals.
Sam Nordquist’s story is part of a larger narrative of systemic violence, but it’s also a call to action. Each name added to the growing list of victims must serve as a reminder that we have the power—and responsibility—to change the course of history.
References
Human Rights Campaign Foundation. 2024. The Epidemic of Violence Against the Transgender & Gender-Expansive Community in the U.S. Washington, DC: Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
National Park Service. n.d. LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History – Chapter 3: Native Americans and Two-Spirit People. U.S. Department of the Interior.
Miranda, Deborah A. 2010. Extermination of the Joyas: Gendercide in Spanish California. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 16 (1–2): 253–284.
Amnesty International. 2023. Colonialism and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Submission to the Independent Expert on Protection Against Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. London: Amnesty International Ltd.
Thwaites, Reuben Gold, ed. 1899. The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents: Travels and Explorations of the Jesuit Missionaries in New France, 1610–1791. Cleveland, OH: The Burrows Brothers Company.
GLAAD. 2023. Annual Report on Anti-LGBTQ+ Incidents. New York: GLAAD.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 2023. Annual Report on Hate Crimes. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
Washington Post. 2024. Misgendering in Crime Reporting: The Impact on LGBTQ+ Victims. Washington, DC: The Washington Post.
The Advocate. 2024. Convictions in Cases of Anti-Transgender Violence: The Dime Doe Case and Beyond. Los Angeles, CA: The Advocate.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). n.d. Ban the Trans and LGBTQ Panic Defense. New York: ACLU.
One of the most horrific murders in experience but only second-degree murder charges, and a possible sentence of life in prison.
Why were Nazi concentration camp guards hung then?
I guess being Black and Trans doesn't rate the forfeit of a full human life in return!
How have we STILL not banned the trans panic defense?!
This is all so horrifying and heartbreaking, my trans loves I am with you 🏳️⚧️