Kara Nichols: Parents of murdered Colorado teen lashes out after killer gets only 24 years in prison
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
EL PASO COUNTY, COLORADO: Julia and Paul Nichols, the devastated parents of Kara Nichols, recently voiced their heartbreak and frustration after their daughter's killer, Joel Hollendorfer, was sentenced to just 24 years in prison.
Kara was only 19 years old when she went missing in October 2012 after informing her parents about traveling to Denver for a job.
Her parents led an extensive decade-long search to determine her whereabouts but found no trace until February 2022, when her remains were found buried on top of a horse grave on a property in El Paso County.
"We were suffering horribly," said Paul to PEOPLE Magazine, adding, "But you have to realize as a parent, you fear the worst, but you hope for the best … 'No, Kara. No, she's not dead. You'll see, she's going to call us one of these days'."
"This is the kind of thing that parents of missing persons, missing children go through. We did that for 10 years, and then we got a call that they found our daughter in a shallow grave, and it smacked hard," continued the father.
When was Joel Hollendorfer convicted in connection to Kara Nichols' death?
After discovering Kara Nichols’ remains, investigators learned that the property belonged to Joel Hollendorfer’s parents, and soon he was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the teenager’s death.
In June this year, the father of two was convicted of manslaughter in the gruesome murder of Kara. During the trial, his ex-wife Kristina Palmer testified that he admitted in 2014 to have accidentally killed the teenager he claimed to have hired as an escort.
On Thursday, August 31, Judge William Bain of the Fourth Judicial District Court ordered the 47-year-old man to serve a maximum sentence of 24 years. The past offender will be placed in a state correctional facility and has also been credited with 571 days of time he already served in prison.
How did Kara Nichols’ parents react to Joel Hollendorfer’s sentencing?
Reflecting on Joel Hollendorfer’s sentencing, Julia Nichols stated, "It was so disheartening and disgusting because what they said with that verdict was that our daughter's life didn't matter at all," adding, "And that she wasn't the kind of victim Colorado Springs liked," as per PEOPLE Magazine.
During the decade-long search for their Kara, Julia and Paul were horrified to see how the media and defense portrayed their daughter, who they claim was dealing with mental health difficulties at the time of her disappearance.
"To take a young teenager who was struggling in life, admittedly, with mental health issues, and to dehumanize her in such a way, was really terribly distressing and unconscionable," asserted the mother.
During the trial, Hollendorfer's defense claimed that Kara's death was an accident brought on by high drug usage or being suffocated during sex.
"[During the trial,] they continued to portray Kara in a very bad light, slander [her], and [engage in] defamation of her character," claimed Paul.
He continued, "It went to cancel any potential sympathy in the eyes of the jury, and it painted her as an unworthy victim. Imagine being her parents in that situation — it was awful."
How are Julia Nichols and Paul Nichols fighting to bring justice for Kara Nichols?
Julia Nichols and Paul Nichols are currently working with the National Women’s Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation (NWCAVE) to ensure that the public, as well as authorities, would not forget about their daughter.
"I truly believe if this was like any other case where you don't have constant media exposure and people reminding the public that there's a missing teenage girl, that she would've just fallen through the cracks," said Michelle Bart, president of NWCAVE, to PEOPLE Magazine.
Julia and Paul, who called the trial "a complete miscarriage of justice," hope that the world remembers their daughter as a teenager, rather than "clickbait," or just a salacious headline.
"She had a magnetic personality," expressed Paul, adding, "Kara would come into a room and kind of light everything up. People just loved her and … It's kind of hard to talk about it."