Two children allegedly forced to torture trans man Sam Nordquist before his death

Police investigating the torture and killing of a trans man, Sam Nordquist, have alleged that two children might have been coerced into harming him prior to his death.

The allegations were made by officers working on the case in New York state after seven people were indicted on charges of first-degree murder. If convicted, they face life in prison without parole.

The suspects, Precious Arzuaga, Patrick Goodwin, Kyle Sage, Jennifer Quijano, Emily Motyka, Kimberly Sochia and Thomas Eaves, have also been accused of kidnapping and child endangerment within the 11-count indictment.

Sam Nordquist, who was from Minnesota, was found dead in a field in upstate New York in February after his family reported him missing and asked state police to carry out a welfare check. He was 24.

He arrived in the state in September, after buying a round-trip ticket to meet an “online girlfriend”. However, soon after arriving he lost contact with loved ones. Police discovered that he had been living at Patty’s Lodge motel, in the small town of Canandaigua, some 300 miles from Manhattan.

On 13 February, human remains, believed to be those of Nordquist, were discovered in a field in Yates County and police said there was evidence he had been “subjected to prolonged physical and psychological abuse”.

It is alleged that Nordquist was sexually assaulted with a table leg and broomsticks, and was beaten with sticks, dog toys, ropes and belts.

On Wednesday (5 March), Ontario County assistant district attorney Kelly Wolford told reporters that Arzuaga has been charged with coercing two children, aged seven and 12, to “engage in the conduct that’s charged in this indictment”.

She went on to say: “To have two children participate in the beating of another human being, it’s deeply disturbing. It has – I speak for myself and everyone involved in this investigation – been one of the most troubling parts of this. It’s heart-breaking.

“Sam was beaten, assaulted, sexually abused, starved, held captive… treated like a dog”, she claimed, adding that bleach had been poured on him and he was forced to eat faeces and drink urine.

“We cannot put that on his gender and we cannot put that on his race. I know many will ask the question: why? Well, as I stand here today as a human being, we’ll never know the answer.”

In a statement to Rolling Stone magazine, after the press conference, Arzuaga’s lawyer, David Pilato, said that “as with all defendants, Precious is presumed innocent”.

Previously, New York state police officer major Kevin Sucher said no human “should have to endure what Sam endured”.

Nordquist’s death prompted an outpouring of grief from LGBTQ+ communities across the US, and a vigil was held at the Wood Library, in Canandaigua.

Local news outlets reported that a photograph of Nordquist was surrounded with flowers, in the colours of the trans flag, at the vigil, and a sign with the words “unite and fight for queer and trans liberation” was hanging in the room.