A 38-year-old man from Minnesota is set to spend the rest of his life in prison for killing a female co-worker. He shot her in the parking lot of their workplace after she repeatedly rejected his romantic advances.
A jury in Stearns County, Minnesota, found Michael J. Carpenter guilty of first-degree and second-degree murder in the 2022 killing of Nicole Hammond, as shown in court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
According to a probable cause affidavit, St. Cloud Police Department officers responded to a report of gunshots outside a textile factory in the 400 block of Lincoln Ave NE at around 6:59 a.m. on Oct. 24, 2022.
Upon arrival, first responders found a female victim, later identified as Hammond, lying in the parking lot with a pool of blood around her head. Despite lifesaving attempts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police noted that Hammond’s driver’s side door was open, and a spent shell casing and keys were found near her body.
A witness told police they saw Carpenter get out of his car and walk toward the south end of the lot. They heard a gunshot and saw Carpenter run back to his car and drive away.
A forensic search of Hammond’s cellphone revealed numerous text messages between her and Carpenter from the night before the shooting. The messages indicated that Hammond did not want Carpenter to touch or manipulate her. She also asked him not to make things uncomfortable at work.
Officers found a text from Hammond to another person stating that Carpenter was mad at her. Co-workers reported that Carpenter had made numerous advances toward Hammond over the past month, all of which were rejected. They also described him as having a bad temper.
During interviews with co-workers, it was revealed that one of them was on the phone with Carpenter, who confirmed he knew about the shooting and said he was “not doing okay.” Carpenter was at his sister’s house, where police took him into custody.
A search of Carpenter’s car uncovered a 9 mm handgun and magazines matching the shell casings found near Hammond’s body.
In a police interview, Carpenter denied shooting Hammond. He claimed he was walking toward her car when he heard a gunshot and saw a person in a hat attending to her. He said he saw a lot of blood, felt too traumatized, and left without rendering aid or calling 911.
Carpenter admitted to officers that he didn’t sleep well the night before due to the text argument he had with Hammond, which upset him.
