No evidence of hate crime in killing of US transgender man, authorities say

Five people charged with murder in Sam Nordquist's death in upstate New York also identified as LGBTQ+, say officials

Authorities investigating the alleged torture and murder of Sam Nordquist in upstate New York say they have found no evidence the transgender man's killing was a hate crime, pointing out that five people recently charged in connection with the slaying also identified as LGBTQ+.

We urge the community not to speculate into the motive behind the murder as we work to find justice for Sam," authorities said over the weekend in a joint press release from the Ontario county district attorney's office and New York state police. At this time, we have no indication that Sam's murder was a hate crime."