A third defendant charged in the torture and murder of Sam Nordquist is expected to plead guilty this week in Ontario County Court.
The Ontario County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to media outlets, including Finger Lakes Daily News, on Monday that Jennifer Quijano is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon. While prosecutors declined to discuss the expected proceedings, Rochester television stations WHEC and Spectrum News reported Quijano is expected to enter a guilty plea.
If she does, Quijano would become the third of the seven defendants charged in the case to withdraw an initial not guilty plea ahead of trial.
Quijano, along with Precious Arzuaga, Kimberly Sochia, Patrick Goodwin, Kyle Sage, Emily Motyka, and Thomas Eaves, was charged with first- and second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, second-degree conspiracy, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child in connection with Nordquist’s death.
Prosecutors allege the 24-year-old Minnesota man was tortured and killed in the Town of Hopewell before his body was dumped in Benton, in neighboring Yates County, .
In addition to the murder-related charges, Quijano, Arzuaga, Goodwin, and Sage were charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault. Quijano, Arzuaga, Sage, and Sochia also face charges of concealing a human corpse, while Arzuaga was additionally charged with two counts of first-degree coercion.
The expected plea follows two previous guilty pleas in the case.
On June 2, Emily Motyka, the youngest defendant at age 20, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping. District Attorney Jason MacBride said she faces a possible sentence ranging from 15 to 50 years in prison.
Then, on June 26, Precious Arzuaga, whom prosecutors have described as the leader of the group, pleaded guilty to 10 felony counts, including first-degree murder and first-degree aggravated sexual assault. Arzuaga was not offered a plea agreement and is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 4.
According to investigators, Nordquist traveled from Minnesota to the Canandaigua area in September 2024 to meet Arzuaga, whom he had met online. He was reported missing in early January 2025, prompting a New York State Police investigation that began Feb. 9.
Investigators determined Nordquist had been living with Arzuaga at Patty’s Lodge in Hopewell before his disappearance. His remains were discovered in a field off Payne Road in Yates County on Feb. 13.
State Police arrested five suspects the day Nordquist’s body was found and arrested two additional defendants on Feb. 21.
