Two vigils planned for Tuesday night in memory of Sam Nordquist

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — Two vigils on Tuesday night will honor the memory of Sam Nordquist, the transgender man who was tortured for over a month and murdered in Ontario County.

Both vigils begin at 6 p.m. One is at The Presbyterian Church on Park Place in Geneva. The other is at the Phelps Art Center on Church Street.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Wood Library in Canandaigua on Monday for the first vigil in Nordquist’s memory. The vigil was organized by Family Counseling of the Finger Lakes. 

Nordquist’s family told News10NBC that he traveled from Minnesota to the Finger Lakes region back in September to meet his girlfriend who he connected with online. Nordquist’s family reported him missing on Feb. 9 after they lost contact with him. Investigators found him dead in neighboring Yates County three days later.

Five people are charged with Nordquist’s murder after New York State Police found that the 24-year-old endured “prolonged physical and psychological abuse.” The Ontario County District Attorney’s Office said on Sunday that there’s no indication at this time that Nordquist’s murder was a hate crime.