St. Cloud man convicted in 2022 murder of co-worker

FOLEY (WJON News) — A Benton County judge has convicted a St. Cloud man of murdering his co-worker outside their workplace in 2022.

Judge sentenced 38-year-old man Michael Carpenter to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A jury found Carpenter guilty of one count of first-degree premeditated murder and one count of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a 28-year-old man. Nicole Hammond in August.

Hammond was shot in the neck outside Dubow Textile on October 24, 2022 and died at the scene.

Police said an examination of Hammond's phone revealed several text messages between the two men from the previous night, in which the woman said she did not want to be touched or handled by Carpenter and that he should not make the situation uncomfortable at work.

Nicole Hammond's obituary can be viewed here.