Law enforcement officials investigating the torture and killing of Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old Black transgender man from Minnesota whose body was discovered last week in upstate New York, found “no indication” of a hate crime, they announced in a statement on Sunday.

“We are disclosing that Sam and his assailants were known to each other, identified as LGBTQ+, and at least one of the defendants lived with Sam in the time period leading up to the instant offense,” police said.

“We share the community’s shock at such a heinous act of violence and understand the fear circulating among members of the L.G.B.T.Q.+ community,” they said. “We remain focused on holding these individuals accountable and will continue to work tirelessly to complete the investigation into Sam’s murder.”

In a statement on Tuesday, GLAAD said that “While we are encouraged to see law enforcement act swiftly to investigate this horrific act, we caution investigators from ruling out hate crime charges based on this statement alone,” adding that “Anti-LGBTQ hate can be perpetuated by anyone, regardless of their relationship to the victim or their own gender identity or sexual orientation.”

GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said: “Our hearts are broken over the loss of Sam Nordquist. Sam was more than just a statistic—he was a son, a brother, a friend, and a bright light in the lives of those who knew him.

“His life was stolen from him after enduring unspeakable cruelty. We stand in solidarity with Sam’s family, friends, and community as they demand justice. We refuse to let Sam’s story fade into silence.

“We demand accountability, we demand justice, and we demand a world where transgender people are safe, respected, and able to live freely.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Sunday that she instructed state agencies including the Hate and Bias Prevention Unit of the New York State Division of Human Rights to assist with the investigation into Nordquist’s murder.

Letitia James, attorney general of New York, said on X “This is beyond horrifying, and those responsible for this terrible act must be held accountable. My heart is with Sam’s family, loved ones, and the entire LGBTQ+ community.”

Police who found his remains in a field in Yates County determined that Nordquist was “subjected to prolonged physical and psychological abuse” between December and his death earlier this month.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace on Monday announced that two men had been charged with distributing the heroin and fentanyl that caused the death of 52-year-old Argentina-born Cecilia Gentili, a beloved prominent New York transgender activist.

New York City residents Michael Kuilan and Antonio Vent were named in the court documents which laid out the events leading to the death of Gentili.

According to the indictment and court documents, on Feb. 6, 2024, following a 911 call by Gentili’s partner, New York Police Department officers reported to Gentili’s home in Brooklyn, N.Y., and found Gentili dead in her bedroom. Gentili died due to the combined effect of fentanyl, heroin, xylazine and cocaine. Text messages, cell site data and other evidence revealed that Venti sold the fentanyl and heroin mixture to Gentili on Feb. 5, 2024, and Kuilan supplied Venti with those lethal narcotics.

In addition, law enforcement searched an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, belonging to Kuilan and found hundreds of baggies of fentanyl, a handgun and ammunition.

“Cecilia Gentili, a prominent activist and leader of the New York transgender community was tragically poisoned in her Brooklyn home from fentanyl-laced heroin. Today, the alleged perpetrators who sold the deadly dose of drugs to Gentili have been arrested,” stated Peace. “Fentanyl is a public health crisis. Our office will spare no effort in the pursuit of justice for the many New Yorkers who have lost loved ones due to this lethal drug.”

“Today’s indictment delivers a strong message to anyone who profits from poisoning our communities with illicit drugs: There are dedicated investigators, across multiple agencies, working tirelessly to disrupt your shameful industry by pinpointing the source of these unlawful substances,” stated NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. “It is imperative that we continue to hold distributors accountable for their callous actions. I commend the NYPD’s partners at the DEA and the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York for their ongoing commitment to this critical mission.”

An undocumented immigrant and then-asylum seeker from Argentina, Gentili came to the U.S. pursuing a safer life to live authentically as a trans woman. She lived undocumented for 10 years, hustling, doing sex work which came with drug use. After surviving arrests and an immigration detention, she accessed recovery services and won asylum.

Among Gentili’s accomplishments was her work as a co-founder of her namesake COIN Clinic (Cecilia’s Occupational Inclusion Network) at Callen-Lorde, a New York-based leader in LGBTQ healthcare. She later was the managing director of policy for the world-renowned GMHC (originally the Gay Men’s Health Crisis.) 

The 17-year-old suspected of fatally stabbing of Black queer dancer O’Shae Sibley a week ago, has been charged with murder as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York Police Department officials and community leaders spoke at a public press conference held at the location of the deadly stabbing in Brooklyn’s Midwood neighborhood detailing the charges brought in the case.

Adams told those gathered that “[Sibley’s] parents have lost a child in something that was clearly a hate crime.” The mayor then thanked the NYPD reflecting that the apprehension of the teenager was made possible by the contributions of “everyday New Yorkers” in aiding the NYPD with information and tips.

The mayor then addressed the fact that initially it seemed “that the hate was coming from the Muslim community against the LGBTQ+ community — that was in fact not true,” Adams said. “These are both important communities in the City of New York, they contribute to the community, … and both are against any level of hate.” He then pointed out that both of those minority communities have been targeted by hate. “They have been united in fighting any form of hate in this city,” the mayor added.

“This is a city where you are free to express yourself, and that expression should never end with any form of violence,” Adams said.

After the mayor’s remarks, NYPD Assistant Chief of the Detective Bureau Joseph E. Kenny took to the podium and summarized the case facts. 

“As the group began to yell at Mr. Sibley and his friends, they began to call them derogatory names and used homophobic slurs against him,” Kenny said.“ They also made anti-Black statements, all while demanding that they simply stop dancing.”

“This encounter lasts for approximately four minutes, when the victim and the known perpetrator come together,” Kenny continued. “This perpetrator retreats away from Mr. Sibley, while striking him one time with a sharp object, piercing his chest and damaging his heart. Mr. Sibley falls to the sidewalk while the perpetrator flees the scene in a Toyota Highlander.”

Kenny noted the 17-year-old suspect’s identification happened “quickly,” saying he lives in Brooklyn and is a student at a “nearby high school.” 

Kenny said that the apprehension was a joint effort by NYPD’s fugitive task force and the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Regional Task Force. The 17-year-old was charged under New York Penal Law § 125.25: Murder in the second degree with a hate crime enhancement, he’s also being charged with criminal possession of a weapon and has been remanded into custody.

Related:

Officials update on investigation into death of O’Shae Sibley: