Hochul: 'There must be justice for Sam Nordquist,' trans man killed upstate

And an unauthorized strike was held at two prisons upstate Monday.

Good afternoon — it’s Monday and Presidents’ Day.

• Today’s CapCon A: One reader asked about the chances the state budget would be done and passed by the April 1 deadline. I don’t have a crystal ball but if it shakes out like the last three, I wouldn’t count on it.

In today’s CapCon:

• Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the killing of Sam Nordquist, who was allegedly tortured for several weeks in Ontario County by five people.

• Correction officers at two prisons upstate staged an unauthorized strike Monday over working conditions, including staffing.

• An indictment in the death of Robert L. Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility will now be unsealed Thursday instead of Tuesday.

• Eric Adams’ future as mayor of New York City remains unclear as Cuomo lays the groundwork for his own run.

• This Week in New York History: The Met, the Miracle on Ice, and the first female labor union.

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Sam Nordquist (New York State Police)

⚖️ Hochul condemns killing of Sam Nordquist, who was tortured for weeks upstate

The body of Sam Nordquist, a transgender man, was found in Ontario County last week. Nordquist, who had recently moved there from Minnesota, had been reported missing earlier this month.

Charges against five people in relation to his death were announced Friday by the State Police and Ontario County District Attorney’s Office. They were charged with murder in the second degree, which carries a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

Nordquist endured physical and psychological abuse from each of them over the past two months, police and prosecutors said. He had been staying at a local motel.

“In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated,” said Capt. Kelly Swift with the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

This case caught my attention because Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement about it Sunday evening.