Two women who admitted roles in the torture and killing of transgender man Sam Nordquist will die in New York prisons without the chance of parole.
Story Snapshot
- Judge sentenced Precious Arzuaga and Jennifer “Brooklyn” Quijano to life without parole.
- Arzuaga and Quijano pleaded guilty, removing doubt about their legal guilt.
- Prosecutors described torture, sexual abuse, and efforts to hide the body.
- Additional defendants pleaded guilty, building a multi-defendant record.
A brutal case ends with the maximum punishment
Ontario County Court delivered the state’s harshest sentence short of death. On September 8, 2026, Judge Kristina Karle ordered life without parole for Precious Arzuaga and Jennifer “Brooklyn” Quijano for the killing of Sam Nordquist.
Reporting from the courtroom described torture, sexual abuse, and a plan to make sure Nordquist never left New York alive. The judge drew a sharp moral line, telling Arzuaga, “Sam was everything you are not,” before imposing the sentence.
Guilty pleas locked in those outcomes well before sentencing day. Arzuaga pleaded guilty on June 25, 2026, to first-degree murder and ten other charges, with the court noting the maximum penalty would be life without parole.
Quijano pleaded guilty on July 15, 2026, to all eight charges she faced, and the court understood she would also serve life without parole. These pleas removed trial risk and put the focus on what they did and how the court would respond.
Precious Arzuaga, who pleaded guilty to taking part in the murder and torture of Sam Nordquist in Ontario County, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Nordquist, a 24-year-old transgender man came to Canandaigua from Minnesota to meet Arzuaga, who he met online. pic.twitter.com/I6Th3XpZDH
— Jennifer Lewke (@WHEC_JLewke) September 8, 2026
What prosecutors said happened to Sam Nordquist
Prosecutors and reporting described a pattern of torture, not a single blow. A text message attributed to Arzuaga said, “Sam can never leave New York alive,” which prosecutors used to show intent.
Coverage also reported that Quijano admitted to first-degree aggravated sexual abuse by inserting a foreign object into Nordquist during the attack.
The record, while filtered through news accounts, presents a picture of planned cruelty, repeated assaults, and a coordinated effort to cover up the crime.
The case did not rest on a single witness or confession. Several co-defendants admitted roles across the timeline. Reports identify guilty pleas by Emily Motyka and Kyle Sage to murder and kidnapping counts linked to Nordquist’s death.
Multi-defendant pleas help anchor the facts. Each admission adds weight to the timeline, the roles, and the violence that ended with Nordquist’s killing.
How the court reached life without parole
New York law allows life without parole for first-degree murder when specific factors are proven. Arzuaga’s plea to first-degree murder and the record of torture and abuse set the stage for that sentence.
Quijano’s pleas to the charges tied to the killing, coupled with the described acts of sexual assault and coordinated violence, brought the same outcome. The judge’s remarks made clear the punishment matched the moral gravity of the crime and the enduring harm to Nordquist’s family.
ALERT: Applause erupts in a courtroom as the “ringleader” responsible for the torture and murder of a transgender man is sentenced.
Precious Arzuaga and Jennifer Quijano tortured and killed Sam Nordquist, a transgender man, at Patty’s lodge in Canandaigua, New York.
Arzuaga,… pic.twitter.com/2Os9H97PWS
— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) September 9, 2026
Some details, like an exact minute-by-minute chronology, remain condensed in summaries. That does not dull the key point. Two central defendants admitted their roles, the court heard about repeated abuse and intent, and the judge imposed the maximum punishment available.
When cruelty is deliberate and shameless, the justice system must be direct. A life-without-parole sentence protects the public, honors the victim, and signals that torture will meet the firmest wall the law can build.
What this case shows about violent crime and accountability
Plea-driven endings often deliver faster certainty than trials, especially in multi-defendant violence. Here, the pleas spared the family a long trial while still reaching the top of the sentencing range. That is how a tough system should work. Prosecutors pushed for accountability.
Defendants admitted guilt. A judge leveled a sentence that fits the acts. For people who worry justice can wobble, this record reads straight: plan, torture, murder, consequence—life without parole.
Sources:
abcnews.com, mprnews.org, democratandchronicle.com, nytimes.com, spectrumlocalnews.com, syracuse.com, youtube.com
