Precious Arzuaga is scheduled to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Ontario County, New York, after pleading guilty to all 11 counts in the indictment stemming from the murder of Sam Nordquist. The 40-year-old pleaded guilty on June 26, 2026, to first-degree murder and the other charges against her arising from the kidnapping, prolonged torture, sexual abuse and killing of Nordquist, a 24-year-old Black transgender man from Minnesota whose death became the focus of a sprawling criminal investigation in New York.

Arzuaga’s sentencing comes as the case reaches another major turning point. Four of the seven people originally charged have now pleaded guilty, while three defendants — Patrick Goodwin, Kimberly Sochia and Thomas Eaves — still face unresolved cases.

But Arzuaga’s guilty plea is only one chapter of a case that began with a missing-person report and developed into a homicide investigation. Prosecutors allege that Nordquist was held captive and subjected to weeks of escalating abuse at Patty’s Lodge in Hopewell, New York, before his death and that his body was later concealed and discarded.

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Sam Nordquist Missing-Person Case: How the Investigation Began

Nordquist traveled from Minnesota to New York’s Finger Lakes region in September 2024. Authorities said he went to the area in connection with his relationship with Arzuaga.

Prosecutors allege that the captivity and abuse began around Jan. 1, 2025.

Then contact with his family stopped.

According to prosecutors, Nordquist was killed on or around Feb. 2, 2025. His family formally reported him missing on Feb. 9, 2025.

Four days later, investigators located his body in a field in Yates County.

The discovery on Feb. 13, 2025, transformed the missing-person investigation into a homicide investigation. What authorities uncovered afterward detailed an increasingly disturbing series of allegations concerning what Nordquist endured before his death.

According to the indictment, Nordquist had been confined inside Room 22 at Patty’s Lodge in Hopewell.

And prosecutors allege that he was not simply being held there.

He was repeatedly assaulted and subjected to prolonged physical and psychological abuse.

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What Prosecutors Say Happened Inside Room 22 at Patty’s Lodge

The indictment describes a pattern of escalating abuse.

Prosecutors alleged that Nordquist was forced to kneel or stand facing a wall while being beaten with various objects. The allegations include severe physical and sexual abuse, deprivation of adequate food and water, restricted access to a phone and other forms of mistreatment.

Prosecutors also alleged that Nordquist was forced to eat feces, drink urine and chew and spit tobacco-related material.

Other allegations described Nordquist being restrained and treated like a dog. Prosecutors said he was covered with towels, clothing or fabric and duct tape and beaten with objects that included sticks, dog toys and other items.

One particularly disturbing allegation involves bleach being poured on Nordquist.

The prosecution’s case eventually centered on the claim that the abuse continued over a prolonged period before Nordquist was killed.

Seven people were originally charged in connection with the case:

Defendant	Current status
Precious Arzuaga	Pleaded guilty to all 11 charges; sentencing scheduled Sept. 8, 2026
Jennifer Quijano	Pleaded guilty to 8 charges; sentencing scheduled Sept. 8, 2026
Emily Motyka	Pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping
Kyle Sage	Pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping; sentencing scheduled for Dec. 2, 2026
Patrick Goodwin	Case pending
Kimberly Sochia	Case pending
Thomas Eaves	Case pending

The case was later elevated to first-degree murder charges.

According to New York prosecutors, the first-degree murder allegation was based on the claim that Nordquist was tortured before his death and that the defendants derived enjoyment from the torture.

Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford described the circumstances as extraordinarily disturbing.

“Sam was beaten, assaulted, sexually abused, starved, held captive and we cannot make sense of that,” Wolford said. “We cannot put that on his gender, and we cannot put that on his race.”

That distinction became an important part of the prosecution’s position.

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Why Prosecutors Said Sam Nordquist’s Death Was Not Classified as a Hate Crime

Nordquist was a Black transgender man, but prosecutors have said they did not find sufficient evidence that he was killed because of his race or transgender identity.

Authorities stressed that the defendants knew Nordquist and that the available evidence did not establish that his race or transgender identity was the reason for the killing.

That does not establish a motive for the killing. Prosecutors have said that the motive had not been revealed in later proceedings.

For prosecutors, classifying the case as a hate crime would therefore fail to describe the broader circumstances alleged in the case.

Wolford explained the position this way:

“A hate crime would make this charge about Sam’s gender or about Sam’s race, and it’s so much bigger. To limit us to a hate crime would be an injustice to Sam.”

The prosecution’s allegations instead focus on the prolonged nature of the alleged kidnapping, torture, sexual abuse and killing.

But there was another element of the case that made the allegations even more disturbing.

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Two Children, Ages 7 and 12, Were Allegedly Forced Into the Abuse

Prosecutors allege that two children, ages 7 and 12, were coerced into witnessing and participating in the abuse of Nordquist.

The allegation means the children were not simply present around the events described by prosecutors. According to Wolford, they were allegedly forced to take part.

The prosecutor said the children should themselves be considered victims because of what they allegedly witnessed and endured.

“To have two children participate in the beating of another human being is deeply disturbing,” Wolford said. “We have a seven- and 12-year-old who are also victims. They may have been forced to participate, but their lives are forever changed by what they saw and endured.”

The allegations involving the children led to additional charges against Arzuaga connected to coercion and child endangerment.

Her overall case included allegations involving murder, kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, conspiracy, concealment of a human corpse and endangering the welfare of children.

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The Charges Precious Arzuaga Admitted in Her Guilty Plea

For a time, Arzuaga was expected to go to trial.

That changed on June 26, 2026, when she pleaded guilty in Ontario County Court to all 11 counts in the indictment.

Her guilty plea covered:

• First-degree murder
• Two counts of first-degree kidnapping
• Second-degree conspiracy
• First-degree aggravated sexual abuse
• Two counts of second-degree coercion
• Concealment of a human corpse
• Two counts of endangering the welfare of a child

The 11 counts include the first-degree murder charge to which Arzuaga pleaded guilty, satisfying the second-degree murder count contained in the indictment.

Prosecutors said Arzuaga admitted participating in the prolonged kidnapping, torture, sexual abuse and killing of Nordquist. She also acknowledged concealing his body afterward.

Her plea carries a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

That guilty plea fundamentally changed what had been expected to become a major criminal trial.

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Why Precious Arzuaga Will No Longer Face the Trial Prosecutors Planned

In April, Ontario County prosecutors confirmed that the seven defendants would be tried separately.

Arzuaga was expected to be the first defendant to face trial.

That trial is no longer necessary.

Her June guilty plea removed the need for a trial to establish her criminal responsibility for the charges to which she pleaded guilty.

Arzuaga’s sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, at approximately 9:30 a.m. in Ontario County.

Jennifer Quijano, another defendant who pleaded guilty, is scheduled to be sentenced later that morning at approximately 11 a.m.

Because the hearings are scheduled for Sept. 8, the final sentence imposed should be reflected in any version published after the proceedings take place.

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Four Defendants Have Now Pleaded Guilty in the Sam Nordquist Case

Arzuaga’s guilty plea was not the first development to reduce the number of defendants heading toward trial.

Emily Motyka previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping on June 2, 2026.

Arzuaga pleaded guilty on June 26.

Jennifer Quijano subsequently pleaded guilty on July 15, 2026, to all eight charges she faced, including first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree conspiracy, first-degree aggravated sexual abuse, concealment of a human corpse and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Then, on Aug. 14, 2026, Kyle Sage pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping.

Sage faces 40 years to life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 2, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. 

That leaves three defendants whose cases remain unresolved:

Patrick Goodwin, Kimberly Sochia and Thomas Eaves.

Their cases remain separate.

Current reporting indicates that the three remaining defendants’ cases remain pending, with further proceedings expected, absent further plea changes.

That means Arzuaga’s guilty plea does not bring the entire Sam Nordquist criminal case to an end.

Instead, the proceedings continue against the three defendants who remain.

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Sam Nordquist’s Family Still Wants to Know Why He Was Killed

For Nordquist’s family, the guilty pleas provide a measure of accountability.

But one major question remains.

Why?

His mother has publicly spoken about wanting to understand the motive behind what happened to her son.

“I want to know the why. Why, Sam? Out of everybody. Sam was the nicest person anybody could ever have met. He would give you the shirt off of his back if you needed it. That was the type of person Sam was,” Nordquist’s mother said.

That question now hangs over a case that has already produced four guilty pleas, serious allegations and multiple sentencing proceedings.

Arzuaga’s sentencing represents a major turning point because her criminal responsibility for the charges to which she pleaded guilty will no longer be determined at trial.

But the broader case is still moving.

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What Happens Next in the Sam Nordquist Murder Case?

Arzuaga is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 8, 2026, and is facing life imprisonment without the possibility of parole under her guilty plea.

Quijano is also scheduled for sentencing that day.

Meanwhile, the criminal proceedings against Patrick Goodwin, Kimberly Sochia and Thomas Eaves continue separately.

The guilty pleas by Arzuaga, Motyka, Quijano and Sage have therefore resolved the cases of four defendants, but they have not answered every question surrounding Nordquist’s death or concluded the proceedings involving the remaining defendants.

For the Nordquist family, the sentencing marks another significant moment in a case that began with a missing-person report and ended in a homicide investigation involving allegations of kidnapping, torture, sexual abuse and concealment of a body.

And for everyone following the case, Sept. 8 represents another major step in a story that is still unfolding.

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Sources

• NBC News — Woman who helped torture and kill transgender boyfriend to be sentenced to life in prison
• New York State Police — Sam Nordquist homicide investigation media advisory
• Associated Press/CBS News — Jennifer Quijano guilty plea and sentencing information
• CBS Minnesota — Indictment outlines scope of torture Sam Nordquist endured
• Spectrum News — Sam Nordquist defendants to be tried separately
• Spectrum News — Defendant in Nordquist case changes plea; sentencing information
• WHEC — Jennifer Quijano pleads guilty in Sam Nordquist case

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