Note: The following story contains references to physical and sexual abuse.
Seven people accused in the death of 24-year-old Sam Nordquist have been indicted on charges that include first-degree murder.
Ontario County officials announced the upgraded charges Wednesday in connection with a brutal death of Minnesota man discovered last month.
His body was found last month in a field in Yates County. Nordquist was a transgender man, but at this point, authorities are not calling this a hate crime.
“We charged the highest count that is available under New York state law, and this case is bigger than a hate crime,” said First Assistant Ontario County District Attorney Kelly Wolford. “A hate crime would make this charge about Sam’s gender or about Sam’s race, and it’s so much bigger. To limit us to a hate crime would be an injustice to Sam’'
The grand jury indictment alleges physical and sexual abuse and it also contains charges that two children, ages 7 and 12, were forced to participate, “to cause or attempt to cause physical injury” to Nordquist.
Prosecutors allege that Nordquist was tortured to death – beaten, bound with duct tape, doused in bleach, forced to drink urine and eat feces, and denied actual food and drink.
“It’s a rare circumstance where we stand before you and charge this subdivision of murder in the first degree, where it alleges that somebody was tortured to death,” Wolford said. “It specifically requires that we prove that all seven defendants tortured Sam Norquist, and that they did so because they enjoyed it.”
The seven defendants are being held for arraignment.
