It’s about motive.

Officials then revealed in the statement, obtained Monday by USA TODAY, that the relationship between the suspects and Nordquist suggests it was not a hate crime.

Nordquist and those suspected in his death were known to each other, and all identified as LGBTQ+, authorities said. At least one of the suspects lived with Nordquist before his death, the statement added.

A “hate crime” by most definitions is motivated purely by a prejudice against someone because of their race/gender/sexuality. If the culprits were just doing this because they’re psychotic, it wouldn’t be pursued as a “hate crime”.

“We are still in the early stages of this investigation,” according to a statement. “We urge the community not to speculate into the motive behind the murder as we work to find justice for Sam.”

It sounds like it’s still possible it’ll be tried as a hate crime, but the revelation that the culprits were known to the victim and also identified as LGBTQ+ means there’s likely more to the motive.

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