El Paso Co. Man convicted of killing 19-year-old Kara Nichols will face lengthened sentence
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- An El Paso County judge just ruled that the man convicted of killing Kara Nichols will receive an enhanced sentence.
Monday, the judge listened to arguments to decide whether the sentence for a man convicted of manslaughter should be up to four times longer than in a typical manslaughter case. He said he found overwhelming evidence that Joel Hollendorfer was guilty of prior convictions and therefore a "habitual offender."
Joel Hollendorfer was found not guilty of first or second-degree murder for the death of 19-year-old Kara Nichols. He was convicted of manslaughter, which typically carries a two to six year sentence.
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Hollendorfer has a lengthy criminal record. The past convictions discussed in court all happened in the nineties. His most recent charge prior to manslaughter was in 1998. Other charges include theft and burglary.
Kara Nichols' father released a statement following the hearing Monday.
"It's terribly difficult to have to listen to these proceedings, when it's so clear to us that a man who could strangle our daughter and bury her body so methodically in his mother's backyard, hiding her for 10 years, is guilty of murder. We are glad the judge found substantial evidence that this perpetrator is a habitual criminal. We hope that Judge Bain imposes the maximum sentence for this heinous crime."
Paul Nichols, Kara's father
