Jury finds Colorado Springs man guilty of manslaughter in death of 19-year-old Kara Nichols

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - An El Paso County jury found the Colorado Springs man accused of killing 19-year-old Kara Nichols guilty of manslaughter.

Joel Hollendorfer was originally charged with second-degree murder before the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office upgraded his charge to first-degree murder in February 2022.

Detectives investigating Nichols' disappearance in 2012 found online ads appearing to show Nichols as an "escort." It's unclear who wrote the ad. Hollendorfer told investigators that he "answered an ad for a girl" and met with Nichols.

According to court records, Hollendorfer confessed to his parents that he killed Nichols. A family member told detectives that Hollendorfer admitted to "accidentally" killing "an escort he hired.

He was taken into custody on February 7, 2022, on unrelated charges. The next day, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office announced they found what was believed to be Nichols' remains.

Hollendorfer's defense claimed their client should've only been found guilty of tampering with evidence, claiming Nichols' death was an accident.

His conviction was handed down Thursday after the jury deliberated for a few hours.

Hollendorfer will be sentenced at a later date.