Woman's spurned co-worker who shot her dead smirks before going down for life

Michael Carpenter was sentenced to life for the murder of his co-worker outside a textile factory in 2022. He had repeatedly made advances towards her in the weeks leading up to the killing

A 38-year-old man has been locked up for life after being convicted of murdering a female colleague who rejected his romantic advances.

The chilling case detailed how Michael J. Carpenter fatally shot Nicole Hammond, aged 28, in the neck in their textile factory's car park back in October 2022. He was found guilty by a jury in August of first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree intentional murder.

On entering the court for his sentencing, Carpenter was seen smirking, an act that deeply upset the victim's mother, Terri Anderson, as reported by local Fox affiliate KMSP: "He smirked so much it's like now I want him behind the walls," she expressed. "I just want him to pay for what he did to her."

Following emotionally charged victim impact statements, Carpenter attempted a feeble expression of regret about Hammond, saying "I agree that she was a really amazing person," acknowledging her kindness and caring nature, reports the Mirror US.

Minnesota man Carpenter ended up behind bars after evidence surfaced from Hammond's mobile phone. Investigations revealed multiple text messages indicating her clear wishes to Carpenter not to be touched or manipulated, leading to his arrest for the 2022 crime, according to legal documents.

"She also informed him to not make things uncomfortable at work," police noted in the court document. "Officers also found a text from (Hammond) to another person who stated that the defendant was mad at her."

After speaking with various co-workers, they indicated that the defendant had made numerous advances toward (Hammond) but his advances had been repeatedly rebuffed over the course of the past month. Co-workers also described the defendant as having a bad temper."

Carpenter was arrested by the police, and a search of his car revealed a 9mm handgun and magazines that matched the brand and style of the shell casings found near Hammond's body, according to Law and Crime.

Carpenter denied shooting Hammond to the police. He claimed he was walking towards her car when he "heard a gun shot" and then "saw a person in a hat attending to Hammond. He says he was "traumatised" by the amount of blood he saw and left the scene without helping or calling 911."

"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," said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a statement following the sentencing.

He will not be eligible for parole.