2 more charged in torture, death of Minnesota native Sam Nordquist in New York
Two more people have been charged with murder in the death of a man from Minnesota who authorities say was tortured for more than a month before being killed in upstate New York.
New York State Police said they arrested Kimberly Sochia, 29, of Canandaigua, and Thomas Eaves, 21, of Geneva on Thursday and charged with them with second-degree murder in the death of Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old transgender man.
Nordquist's body was found discarded in a field this month. Authorities say Nordquist died following repeated acts of violence and torture for more than a month by multiple people.
Nordquist was originally from Minnesota and traveled to the Finger Lakes area last September. He was reported missing on Feb. 9.
Sochia and Eaves were remanded to county jail pending arraignment. It was not clear if they had attorneys. There was no comment from the public defender's office.
Authorities said his assailants were known to each other, identified as LGBTQ+ and there was no evidence of a hate crime.
Five others, all New York residents, have previously been charged with second-degree murder: Precious Arzuaga, 38, and Patrick Goodwin, 30, of Canandaigua, New York; Kyle Sage, 33, of Rochester, New York; Jennifer Quijano, 30, of Geneva, New York; and Emily Motyka, 19, of Lima, New York.
Authorities say those five were charged after police searched the Canandaigua motel where Nordquist had been staying.
On Monday, Ontario County District Attorney Jim Ritts said Nordquist's case is "by far the worst" homicide investigation he and his officers have ever been involved with.
"No human being should have to endure what Sam endured," Ritts said.
CBS News spoke earlier this week with the victim's mother, Linda Nordquist. She said her son "would give you the shirt off his back."
"Very kind, loved his family, loved his nieces and nephew, very outgoing, worked hard," Linda Nordquist said.
She said she is still in a state of shock, calling those charged in her son's death "scum."
"I don't know how somebody can be that evil," she said.
NOTE: The original airdate of the video attached to this article is Feb. 16, 2025.
