How this headline may connect to industries in Minnesota. Technical scores are below — click any ? for what a metric means.
Motyka pleads guilty in Nordquist case.CANANDAIGUA — One of seven suspects accused in the 2025 torture and murder of Sam Nordquist agreed to a plea deal Tuesday in Ontario County Court.Emily Motyka, 20, pleaded guilty before Judge Kristina “Kitty” Karle to second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping.“She pled guilty to murder in the second degree, kidnapping in the second degree,” District Attorney Jason MacBride who held a press conference after the court proceedings.“She described a series of events that she engaged in, on or about between January 1st of 2025 and I believe February 2nd of 2025.Quite frankly, some heinous things that she participated in.” MacBride explained that the sentencing can range from 15-50 years and will be determined by Karle.She was remanded to jail and will remain there until sentencing.No date for sentencing has been announced.Motyka originally was charged with first- and second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, second-degree kidnapping, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.“At the end of the day, our responsibility is to Sam and Sam’s family,” explained MacBride, “and we did not take this plea and sentence lightly.And that’s why we spent the time to go through this and explain things to Sam’s mom and sister, who, as everyone here knows, have a lot of contact and friends and family and supporters here in Ontario County.“And again, this person’s 19 years old,” he added, “so someone spending 50 years to life in prison as a 19-year-old, I don’t know why anyone would be disappointed with that.” In response to a question about whether Motyka would testify against any of the other defendants, MacBride said he could not comment.Defendants Precious Arzuaga, Kimberly Sochia, Jennifer Quijano, Patrick Goodwin, Kyle Sage, and Thomas Eaves are charged with first- and second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, second-degree conspiracy, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.Arzuaga, Quijano, Goodwin, and Sage are charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, and Arzuaga also faces two counts of first-degree coercion.Additionally, Arzuaga, Quijano, Sage, and Sochia are charged with concealing a human corpse.The prosecution of the remaining six will continue with co-defendant Arzuaga’s trial scheduled to start Aug 31.MacBride said that no plea offer will be extended to her.State Police initiated a missing-person investigation Feb.9, 2025, after receiving a welfare check request from Nordquist’s family.Investigators discovered that Nordquist had been residing with Arzuaga at Patty’s Lodge in Hopewell.According to investigators, Nordquist, a native of Minnesota, was subjected to prolonged physical and psychological abuse at the hands of multiple abusers beginning sometime in January 2025.13, 2025, Nordquist’s remains were discovered in a field off Payne Road in Yates County.