New York Gov. Hochul fuels hate crime speculation in transgender slaying; state police find ‘no indication’

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul fueled hate crime speculation in the slaying of a 24-year-old transgender victim, as the district attorney’s office and state police said there was “no indication” of such a motive.

“I have directed State Police to provide any and all support and resources to the District Attorney as they continue their investigation, including into whether this was a hate crime,” Hochul wrote in a Sunday statement. 

Hochul’s post came the same day as a joint statement from the New York State Police and the Ontario County District Attorney. New York State Police said it found the remains of 24-year-old Sam Nordquist on Friday in Yates County.

“At this time we have no indication that Sam’s murder was a hate crime,” the Ontario County’s District Attorney’s office and the New York State Police said Sunday in a joint release. “To help alleviate the understandable concern his murder could be a hate crime, we are disclosing that Sam and his assailants were known to each other, identified as LGBTQ+, and at least one of the defendants lived with Sam in the time period leading up to the instant offense.”

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Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks about gun violence in the United States during the Clinton Global Initiative on Sept. 23, 2024, in New York City. (Getty Images)

Criminal histories

Authorities said Precious Arzuaga, 38; Jennifer A. Quijano, 30; Kyle Sage, 33; Patrick A. Goodwin, 30; and Emily Motyka, 19, had all been arrested and charged with second-degree murder with depraved indifference, the New York State Police said.

Records, reviewed by Fox News Digital, revealed that three of the five suspects had criminal histories – spanning from child sex crimes to theft.

Patrick A Goodwin, Emily Motyka and Jennifer A. Quijano were arrested in connection to the February murder of 24-year-old Sam Nordquist. (New York State Police)

Arzuaga has four misdemeanor convictions, including petty larceny, criminal trespass and the sale of an imitation control substance.

Sage was convicted of larceny and disseminating indecent material to a minor. New York state records revealed that he was on parole when arrested after being released from prison on May 30, 2024.

Goodwin was convicted of child sex crimes in 2015, and is a registered Level 3 sex offender, records show. Goodwin was convicted by the Ontario County Sheriffs Office for Criminal Sexual Act-1st Degree, with the victim being under 11 years old.

He was sent to prison in 2015 for 10.5 years. According to New York State records, Goodwin was released and placed on parole on June 6, 2023.

A search of the state corrections system did not reveal any information regarding Arzuago, Quijano and Motyka.

Precious Arzuaga and Kyle Sage were arrested in connection to the February murder of 24-year-old Sam Nordquist. (New York State Police)

A hate crime in New York is defined in Penal Law Section 485.05 as an offense committed “in whole or in substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding the race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation of a person, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct.”

Retired New York Police Department inspector Paul Mauro told Fox News Digital that short of new evidence, this case will be charged as a regular murder case.

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“Now with transgenderism as a protected hate crime class, in a very blue state, you can rest assured that if they were in any way, shape or form capable of bringing this as a hate crime, they would,” he said. “They don’t want the blowback of saying they’re ignoring a hate crime, but they’re not doing that, so they mustn’t have that. It is possible they could gather more evidence.”

Sam Norquist, whose remains were found in a field in upstate New York last week. (New York State Police)

‘Beyond depraved’

Police said members of Norquist’s family were last in touch at the end of January. Authorities launched a missing person investigation last week after receiving a welfare check request from the family.

Police found Nordquist’s body on Thursday, Feb. 15, in a Yates County, New York, field.

Police believe Nordquist endured prolonged physical and psychological abuse and repeated acts of violence and torture between early December and early February.

“In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated,” Capt. Kelly Swift of the State Police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation said at a news conference on Friday.

“The facts and the circumstances of this crime are beyond depraved,” added James Ritts, the district attorney of Ontario County.

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Hochul on Sunday called Nordquist’s slaying “horrific and brutal.”

“The charges against these individuals are sickening and all New Yorkers should join together to condemn this horrific act. We are praying for Sam Nordquist’s family, community and loved ones who are experiencing unimaginable grief,” the governor said.

Sam Nordquist was allegedly tortured for more than a month inside a motel until he died. (GoFundMe)

Hochul’s office said the governor is committed to providing a safe community for all people.

“We remain focused on holding these individuals accountable and will continue to work tirelessly to complete the investigation into Sam’s murder,” her office said.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Hochul’s office for comment.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a U.S. Writer at Fox News Digital.

Sarah joined FOX in 2021, where she has assisted on coverage of breaking and major news events across the US and around the world, including the fallout following the “Defund the police” movement, the assassination attempts on President Donald Trump’s life and illegal immigration.

She has experience reporting on topics including crime, politics, business, lifestyle, world news and more. You can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.