Two women get life in prison for motel murder of trans man

A court in Canandaigua, New York, sentenced two women to life in prison without parole on September 8, 2026, for torturing and murdering a transgender man held captive in a local motel. The judicial ruling imposed the maximum statutory penalty against both convicts for the homicide.

Precious Arzuaga, 40, and former partner Jennifer Quijano, 32, previously pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping, conspiracy, and concealment of a human corpse.

Both individuals rank among seven people indicted for the February 2025 killing of 24-year-old Sam Nordquist. Two other defendants admitted their participation and await sentencing. Three co-defendants will face trial next year.

Prosecutors identified Precious Arzuaga as the ringleader of the criminal operation conducted inside a Finger Lakes roadside motel room where she lived with her two underage children and kept the victim captive under continuous physical assaults over the course of several weeks prior to the killing. Police authorities determined that a 12-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy faced coercion to participate in the violent sessions inflicted upon Sam Nordquist in the room.

Her eldest son, 22-year-old Thomas Eaves, remains among the defendants awaiting trial.

Judge Kristina A. Karle of Ontario County Court required Precious Arzuaga to sign permanent protection orders that bar any contact with her biological children for life before formalizing the sentence. The restriction took effect immediately.