Woman pleads guilty in torture, death of Minnesota native Sam Nordquist in New York

A woman pleaded guilty in connection with the murder of a transgender man from Minnesota who authorities say was tortured for more than a month before being killed in upstate New York.

Jennifer Quijano pleaded guilty on July 15 to one count of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, one count of conspiracy, one count of aggravated sexual abuse, one count of concealment of a human corpse and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, online court records show. She's scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 8.

At least two other people have pleaded guilty in connection with Nordquist's death. According to court records, Emily Motyka pleaded guilty last month to one count each of second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping, and Precious Arzuaga pleaded guilty to several charges, including first-degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a child and concealment of a human corpse. Arzuaga will be sentenced on Sept. 8 alongside Quijano.

Twenty-four-year-old Sam Nordquist's body was found discarded in a field on Feb. 13, 2025. Authorities say Nordquist died following repeated acts of violence and torture for more than a month by multiple people. Nordquist had traveled to the Finger Lakes, New York, area in September 2024. He was reported missing on Feb. 9. 

According to the indictment, defendants allegedly kept Nordquist confined, forced him to stand or kneel facing the wall, physically assaulted him and poured bleach on him, amongst many other forms of extreme torture. Nordquist, a Black man, was transgender, but authorities have said they have no evidence of a hate crime.