The Murder of Caroline Nosal
For this case I watched an episode of The Killer Beside Me. It’s season 1 episode 1, titled ‘Target on Her Back.’
A young woman is killed outside her job.
Background
Caroline Nosal was a 24 year old woman, who lived in Madison, Wisconsin. She was very close to her parents Jim and Jane, and would frequently visit them when she had off from her job.
Caroline had attended community college for awhile, but decided she wanted to work for awhile. In 2015, she started working as a produce manager at the Metro Market Convenience Store. Her co-workers loved her, and said she was bubbly, welcoming and caring.
Caroline Nosal
An Unusual Friendship
Caroline soon met a man named Christopher O’Kroley. He started working in the meat department, and was described as quiet and secluded. Another friend of Caroline’s who also worked at the store said she just felt like something was off with him.
Caroline was nice to everyone, and she and Chris became friends. He would join her and the other co-workers for drinks after work, and they would go to the mall or hangout just one on one.
One day while they were hanging out, Caroline and Chris stopped over at her parent’s house. She introduced him to her mom, and Jane didn’t get a good feeling about him either. She said he didn’t make eye contact with her, and didn’t say anything other than hello. However, Jane knew that Caroline was an adult, and could make her own decisions.
Accusations and Rumors
A few weeks later, rumors started to spread throughout the store. Caroline’s friend said that the store was like high school, there was always gossip and rumors. I can relate to this, I worked at a grocery store for around 3 years, and it was like this to a T.
Anyways, the rumors were about Chris. Apparently, he had been hitting on young girl that was around 16 years old. Caroline wasn’t sure what to believe, and still invited Chris to go out with the other employees.
One night, Caroline had too much to drink, and Chris took her to his home. When she woke up the next morning, she felt uncomfortable. She didn’t have romantic feelings for Chris, and she started to distance herself from him.
Chris didn’t like this. He would constantly text or call her asking her to hangout. Caroline always said she had things to do. He would also follow her around the store, and try to sit with her on break. Her friends and family saw the changes in her. She was on edge, and finally told Chris to leave her alone once and for all.
An Uncomfortable Work Environment
Chris started to harass other employees. He would tell female employees that they were attractive, and ask for sexual favors.
In December 2015, at the employee Christmas party, Chris showed Caroline explicit photos of a young girl that worked in the bakery. Caroline was disgusted, and called him a disgrace.
Caroline was very concerned and worried for the young girl. She told her mom about the situation, and her mom told her to stay out of it. Caroline also told her friend, and the friend thought that maybe she should tell the police, and not the store management.
In January 2016, Chris was arrested for the alleged assault. Chris and the young girl had gone back to his place on Christmas. They smoked and the girl had one sip of a mixed drink. She woke up the next morning, and didn’t have any of her clothes on. The other employees were sure that he was going to jail or fired. However, Chris wasn’t fired. He returned to work because the management couldn’t do anything until police concluded their investigation. That’s bullshit in my opinion, he should have been fired.
She’s Had Enough
Caroline turned to her family for support. But, on January 22, Chris started texting Caroline again.
At 10:19pm, he wrote “I wonder what time you work tomorrow?” Caroline didn’t respond, so he texted her again “why are you such a horrible human being?” Caroline said “are you drunk? Why the hell are you texting me?” Chris, thinking he was the shit, texted, “maybe you should get more **** shoved down your throat.” Caroline’s last message to Chris was to leave her alone.
Caroline and her parents reported this to the store management on January 23. They suspended Chris, but he was fired on February 2, which was also the day Caroline lost her life.
The Murder
The day before the murder, Chris visited a local sporting goods store. He purchased a .9mm pistol and ammunition.
Caroline worked 12-8pm, and unfortunately, her friend who usually left work with her had left earlier in the day. They had plans to meet later that night, but Caroline never left the grocery store.
Caroline’s parents found out about her death when they heard about it on the news. Around midnight, two police officers notified them that Caroline had passed away. Chris went on the run.
Arrest and Conviction
The police obtained a warrant for Chris. He had admitted to someone that he killed Caroline. He wrote in a text message “I killed Caroline, and I’m about to kill myself. So don’t be surprised when I don’t respond anymore. I really hope your life is good.”
17 hours after Caroline’s murder, the police spotted Chris behind a department store. They called for him to take his hands out of his pockets. He fired at them, and took off running. Chris eventually dropped the gun, when the police caught up to him.
Chris was convicted of intentional homicide, and was sentenced to life in prison. He was also given an additional five years for shooting at an officer. The sexual assault case was eventually dropped.
On May 1, 2017, on what would have been Caroline’s 25th birthday, Chris committed suicide.
Christopher O’Kroley
Other
Caroline’s parents believe the store management put a target on their daughter’s back. The store management put Chris’s messages in the letter that they read to him when he was fired.
Caroline’s family filed a lawsuit in 2019, against Kroger Limited Partnership, the owners of the grocery store. I couldn’t find anything else on the lawsuit, other than that it was filed.
Jane and Jim Nosal, Caroline’s parents
FINAL THOUGHTS
I feel so bad for Caroline’s family. They wanted her to feel safe at work, and instead she was killed because she was the one who stood up for herself and for Chris’ other victim(s). Chris took Caroline’s kindness as something more, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/caroline-nosal-murder-is-christopher-okroley-dead-or-alive/
https://citigist.com/entertainment/caroline-nosal-murder-is-christopher-okroley-dead-or-alive/
