The Ontario County District Attorney’s Office announced the expected date of the first trial proceedings in the Sam Nordquist homicide case.
At court hearings on Wednesday, Ontario County Judge Kristina Karle provided the schedule for three of the trials, with the first expected to begin on August 31.
Here is what to know about the upcoming trial schedule, Wednesday’s court proceedings and the seven defendants.
Who are the seven defendants charged with murdering Sam Nordquist?
Last year, seven defendants—Precious Arzuaga, Jennifer Quijano, Kyle Sage, Patrick Goodwin, Emily Motyka, Kimberly L. Sochia, and Thomas Eaves—were charged with torturing and murdering 24-year-old Sam Nordquis. They face multiple felony charges, including:
Expected trial schedule for Sam Nordquist homicide case
Here is the upcoming trial schedule that was announced in Wednesday’s court hearing:
All of the trials are expected to be anywhere from four to six weeks long.
Prosecution believes Precious Arzuaga was the ‘ring leader’
After Wednesday’s proceedings, Nobles told reporters that the prosecution believes Arzuaga is the most culpable of the defendants, which is why she will be tried first.
“She is essentially the ring leader, and this wouldn’t have happened without her,” he said. “We firmly believe that, and we want to pursue the trial and get justice for Sam’s family as quickly as we can, and for us, that means starting with Precious.”
According to Sam’s family and the prosecution, Sam and Arzuaga met on TikTok during the summer of 2024 and started a romantic relationship. Sam then left Minnesota in Sept. 2024 to fly to the Finger Lakes to stay with Arzuaga at Patty’s Lodge in Ontario County for what was supposed to be a two-week trip, but Sam never got on his return flight to Minnesota.
The prosecution alleges that between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1, Arzuaga and the 6 other defendants tortured Sam for a month before murdering him and disposing of his body in a field in Yates County.
Why would Goodwin and Sage be tried together?
In February, the DA’s office originally stated that the seven defendants would have separate trials that were expected to begin in early September. Wednesday’s court hearings, however, suggested that Goodwin and Sage could be tried together.
After the hearings, Nobles said that each of the seven defendants provided statements in which they implicated themselves and each other. Those statements can be used against the individual defendant who provided them, but not against the other defendants, which would prevent the defendants from being tried together, he explained.
However, Judge Karle ruled that Goodwin’s statements would not be admissible in court, which opens the door to him being tried alongside Sage.
“It’s not a desire on our part to put those two together, particularly,” Nobles said. “It’s an issue of those are the only two that might be able to go together, and if that’s the case, we would like to save a month’s worth of trial by combining them.”
Nobles said that the DA’s office plans to have a decision on whether or not they want to file a motion to have the two tried together within the following weeks.
What were Wednesday’s court hearings about?
Eaves, Sochia and Goodwin made separate appearances in court on Wednesday, where their defense attorneys presented their arguments for the motions they filed to dismiss the Grand Jury indictments. Quijano’s lawyers provided written arguments to the court for their motion and did not appear in court.
Judge Karle said that the court will issue written decisions on the motions.
Arzuaga, Motyka and Sage are expected to appear in court on April 29 for similar motions.
— Madison Scott is a New York Connect reporter, covering entertainment, breaking and consumer news, and trending topics with a focus on stories that matter to readers across New York state. She also has an interest in how the system helps or doesn’t help families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@USATodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: First trial set in Sam Nordquist case; suspect called ‘ring leader’
Reporting by Madison Scott, New York Connect Team / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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