Man sentenced to life in prison for killing co-worker in 2022

By KSTP

Michael Jordan Carpenter (Benton County Jail)

A St. Cloud man, Michael Carpenter, was sentenced Friday in Benton County to spend the rest of his life in prison for the death of his co-worker, Nicole Hammond, in 2022.

In August, a jury found Carpenter guilty of first-degree pre-meditated murder and second-degree murder for killing 28-year-old Hammond on Oct 24, 2022. Investigators say she’d repeatedly rejected his personal advances. Her body was found in the parking lot of their workplace.

According to the criminal complaint, investigators found an argument over text messages between Hammond and Carpenter the night before the shooting, with Hammond saying she didn’t want to be touched or manipulated by Carpenter.

Court documents even outlined that officers learned Carpenter made numerous advances toward Hammond the month prior. The next day, authorities found Hammond’s body in the parking lot of the place where they worked in St. Cloud after getting a report of a gunshot.

Officers later arrested Carpenter and found a pistol with a loaded magazine that matched the shell found outside the business. A press release from the attorney general’s office says that shot

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office prosecuted the case after the Benton County Attorney submitted a special request under Minnesota Statutes Sec. 8.01.

“My thoughts are with Nicole Hammond’s friends, family, and community today. Nicole was a talented, kind, and caring soul who loved art and nature. She will be missed by many,” said Attorney General Keith Ellison. “I am pleased that today, the Court held Michael Carpenter fully accountable for the crime he committed. I hope this accountability is eventually able to bring some measure of peace to Nicole’s loved ones.”

Carpenter was remembered fondly by colleagues after her death. The CEO and owner of Dubow Textile, Rob Dubow, also said he didn’t know there was a problem between the two.

“She always had a smile on her face. She was loved by anybody that she had contact with,” said Dubow. “We had no clue. We had zero clue there was any troubles in communications between staff members.”