Two more suspects were charged in connection with the death of Sam Nordquist, the transgender man who was tortured and killed in New York earlier this month.
In an update Friday, New York State Police announced the arrests of Kimberly L. Sochia, 29, of Canandaigua; and Thomas G. Eaves, 21, of Geneva on Thursday night.
Both suspects were charged with second degree murder with depraved indifference. They were processed at and remanded to Ontario County Jail pending an arraignment, state police said in the update.
A total of seven people have now been charged in connection with Nordquist’s death. State police announced second degree murder charges against five others on Feb. 14.
New York State Police launched a missing persons investigation for Nordquist, 24, from Minnesota, after his family requested a welfare check.
On Feb. 13, police said they found human remains believed to be those of Nordquist in New York near where he was reportedly staying.
A spokesperson for the state police said the case is being investigated as a homicide at a Feb. 14 news conference, adding that evidence points to the fact that Nordquist was the “victim of a criminal act.”
Capt. Kelly Swift with the New York State Police said at the news conference that they have not ruled out the possibility of this case being a hate crime.
Nordquist “was subjected to ongoing physical abuse” between December 2024 and February 2025, police have said, citing evidence uncovered in the investigation.
“Sam was subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture in a manner that ultimately led to his death,” Swift said at the news conference. “His body was then transported in an attempt to conceal the crime.”
Nordquist’s mother suggested that his death was preventable if local authorities had “done their jobs.”
She told NBC News that months before her son’s remains were found, their family requested two wellness checks with police in Canandaigua, New York.
“Sam may be alive today if they would have done their jobs,” she said through tears.
Linda Nordquist said her son left her home in Oakdale, Minnesota, in September to visit his former partner Precious Arzuaga, who he met online and is one of the initial five suspects charged in his death. From there, she said calls from her son became scattered or were made with Arzuaga also on the call.
On Dec. 4, she said she received a distressing email from Ontario County Department of Social Services, who told her that her son recently went to their offices and expressed that Arzuaga was controlling his cell phone use, that he wanted to come home and was trying to come up with an “escape plan,” the DSS said, according to Linda.
He never showed up to the DSS appointment scheduled for Dec. 19. She said she spoke to her son after that and he said he was “fine,” and the last time she heard from him was via text on Jan. 31.
Matt Lavietes contributed.
