Say His Name: Sam Nordquist
A third defendant pleads guilty as Sam's family continues fighting to ensure the world remembers the man behind one of the most horrific crimes imaginable.
This is the story that made me start thinking about starting Bad News Burgo in the first place.
I remember reading about Sam Nordquist’s torture and murder when the news first broke and really questioning if it was a real story or some sort of AI-Generated insanity.
It felt impossible that something this horrific had actually happened. The details were so disturbing that it seemed more like a work of fiction than a real news story.
As the person who earned the nickname, Bad News Burgo, I’m well aware that some people really are purely evil and capable of unimaginable cruelty. The stories that cross my path remind me of that every day. However, this was so insanely cruel that I felt I must have curated a feed filled with made-up stories designed to shock people. Surely this couldn’t be real.
Unfortunately, it was.
This story may be the most horrific one I’ve ever read.
According to MPR News, Sam Nordquist was a 24-year-old transgender man from Minnesota who met a woman online and traveled to New York in September 2024 to visit her.
Sam was just a young guy. A son. A brother. Just another person trying to grow up and build a life of their own.
His mother, Linda Nordquist, didn’t want him to go on the trip.
“You don’t know anybody there,” she remembered telling him.
Sam’s response was simple.
“You have to let me grow up and spread my wings.”
So she drove him to the airport, kissed him goodbye, and told him to be safe.
She never saw him alive again.
What happened in New York is almost impossible to comprehend.
According to NBC, Sam was held captive in a motel room for approximately a month.
Court documents allege he was beaten, kicked, punched, sexually assaulted, starved, denied proper food and water, physically restrained, duct taped, and forced to obey commands “like a dog.”
Prosecutors allege that he was forced to consume urine, feces, and tobacco spit, had bleach poured on him, and was subjected to repeated sexual, physical and psychological abuse.
Authorities have also alleged that two young children were forced to witness—and in some instances participate in—the abuse.
One prosecutor involved in the case said the indictment represented only a portion of what investigators currently know happened inside Room 22 of Patty’s Lodge.
Another described it as one of the worst homicide investigations their office had ever encountered. I certainly hope they don’t see worse than this.
Authorities say seven people, excluding those poor two children, participated in the abuse.
One prosecutor stated that the evidence supports allegations that Sam was tortured for the enjoyment of those harming him.
The only people who called police were Nordquist’s mother and sister back home, who pleaded for authorities to check in on him when he stopped responding to their messages. But Nordquist’s body had already been dumped, wrapped in plastic bags, in an empty field.
That literally makes me ill. I cannot begin to imagine how his family has managed to process the reality that someone they loved endured that level of cruelty.
And this week, according to WROC, Jennifer Quijano became the third defendant to plead guilty in connection with the kidnapping, torture, sexual abuse, and murder of Sam Nordquist.
After another defendant accepted responsibility, Kayla Nordquist said:
“There’s just no amount of justice.”
And of course there isn’t.
Because no sentence can give a mother back her son.
No guilty plea can give a sister back her brother.
No conviction can undo what happened.
The strength this family has to have in order to hear the details relayed over and over again…because there are so many trials because so many awful people hurt him.
Absolutely nothing could make that any less painful.
If you’d like to help, I’m linking directly to the Nordquist family’s GoFundMe.
Since Sam’s death, his family has been forced to navigate not only unimaginable grief, but also the financial burden of traveling from Minnesota to New York for hearings and trials, legal expenses, and lost wages while fighting to make sure Sam’s voice continues to be heard.
In their own words, “We will never stop fighting until Sam has the justice he deserves.”
No amount of money can undo what happened to Sam. But it can help support the family as they continue showing up, speaking out, and ensuring that his story—and his memory—are never forgotten.
Say his name.
Sam Nordquist.