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Violence Free Minnesota, the coalition to end relationship abuse, remembers Sam Nordquist, the 3rd confirmed victim of intimate partner homicide in Minnesota in 2025.

Sam Nordquist, 24, was killed on or around February 13, 2025 after prolonged physical and psychological abuse and torture from the following seven people. Precious Arzuaga, 38; Jennifer Quijano, 30; Kyle Sage, 33; Patrick Goodwin, 30; Emily Motyka, 19; Kimberly Sochia, 29; and

Thomas Eaves, 21, are all charged with first-degree murder.

Sam, a Black trans man from Minnesota, traveled to New York from Oakdale, MN in September 2024. His family stated he traveled to New York to meet his girlfriend, Precious Arzuaga, whom he had met online. Sam’s family gradually lost contact with him, and the few phone calls they did have often had Arzuaga present. On December 4, 2024, Sam’s family was notified by social services that Sam had gone to their offices and expressed that Arzuaga was controlling his cell phone use, and that he wanted to come home and was trying to come up with an "escape plan.” He never showed up for a December 19 appointment, and his family last heard from him on January 31, 2025. His family’s requests for welfare checks led to the eventual discovery of Sam’s body in a field in New York on February 13, 2025. We remember Sam Nordquist.

Sam was described as “a friend without limits,” “a giving person, a loving person,” “full of life,” and a “beautiful human being.” Loved ones shared that he loved TikTok, puma sweatshirts, cooking, and trick-or-treating with his sister’s children.

The family has started a GoFundMe account for Justice for Sam https://gofund.me/49670faf 

Please consider reading the New York City Anti-Violence Project's full statement on Sam's murder, which contextualizes his murder "at the intersection of transphobia, racism, intimate partner violence, and hate violence." https://avp.org/2025/02/16/samnordquist/
 

OutFront Minnesota Anti-Violence Helpline: 800.800.0350

Learn more here: https://www.vfmn.org/we-remember #WeRememberMN 

Violence Free Minnesota, the coalition to end relationship abuse, remembers Sefiya Churiso Datu, the 2nd confirmed victim of intimate partner homicide in Minnesota in 2025.

Sefiya Churiso Datu, 29, was stabbed to death in St. Paul on February 26, 2025. Sefiya’s husband, Kedu Husen Buseri, 34, is charged with second-degree murder. On the afternoon of February 26, Buseri called 911 and said someone had killed his wife. When officers arrived, they found Buseri covered in blood and Sefiya wrapped in a blanket with a knife near her head. A baby was found on a nearby bed but was physically unharmed. Another woman was also present but was not injured. Sefiya was taken to the hospital and died shortly afterward.

Buseri told police he and Sefiya had an argument, and he slapped her, then began cutting her. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Sefiya died as a result of multiple sharp force injuries, including a large cut across her throat, cuts on her face, and a cut on her bicep.

We remember Sefiya Churiso Datu.

Learn more here: https://www.vfmn.org/we-remember #WeRememberMN 

Violence Free Minnesota, the coalition to end relationship abuse, retroactively remembers Dejuan, the 24th confirmed victim of domestic violence-related homicide in Minnesota in 2024.

Dejuan was killed in November 2024 and the two people involved in his murder were arrested yesterday.

Dejuan Hemphill, 24, was shot in St. Paul on November 5, 2024, and died in the hospital on November 15, 2024. Kenneth Terry, 18, and Jehovah Nelson, 19, were arrested for the murder. Terry was charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and Nelson was charged with second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. Dejuan and his two cousins were walking in

St. Paul when Nelson shot Dejuan and then fled with Terry. A woman told investigators that she had previously been in a relationship with Terry and had a child with Terry. The woman stated that Nelson shot Dejuan because Terry was jealous that she had been spending time with one of Dejuan’s male family members. Investigators believe Terry and Nelson attempted to kill Dejuan’s cousins as well. 

Dejuan leaves behind a four-month-old baby. 

There is a  have set up a GoFundMe account.  https://www.gofundme.com/f/unexpected-funeral-expenses-for-dejuan-hemphill 

Learn more here: https://www.vfmn.org/we-remember #WeRememberMN