Today in Canandaigua, New York, Precious Arzuaga, 40, was walked into a Ontario County Courthouse where she pled guilty to all charges in the murder and torture of Sam Nordquist, a 24 year old Trans masculine man who had traveled from Minnesota to Central New York to meet her in late 2024.

The gruesome way that Sam Nordquist died has made international news this week. A few internet pictures have circulated widely that you can imagine he never intended for millions to see, the mug shot of the five monsters accused of taking his precious life away and images of his heartbroken family huddled on a motel room bed overcome with grief after an unexpected pilgrimage to upstate New York to reclaim their beloved Sam. These images and the horrific details of the torture he endured will be the lasting memories most associated with Sam Nordquist for the millions of strangers that only learned his name this week.

Rochester, NY (the city nearest to where Sam was found) is our Editor, Tamara Leigh’s hometown so Blaque/OUT Magazine began covering Sam’s disappearance and the devastating conclusion earlier than most media outlets, but it was our intention to stop continued coverage until the trial verdict to avoid being a part of the sensationalized coverage that will undoubtably follow a news story of this magnitude. It’s always our goal to tell OUR stories but not to exploit them. However, we came across a short, sweet post made by Face To Face Academy in St. Paul, MN where Sam graduated in 2020 that felt too important not to share with our readers.