On Monday (Oct. 24), 28-year-old Nicole Hammond was shot and killed in her job’s parking lot after previously turning down advances from a male co-worker. Prosecutors have charged 36-year-old Michael Carpenter with second-degree murder in connection to her death.

Authorities gathered Hammond’s cell phone records and confirmed Carpenter was harassing his co-worker, according to an article from local news station KMSP Fox 9 published yesterday (Oct. 27). Officials looked into text messages between the two in which the victim asked Carpenter not to “touch her” or “manipulate her.” She also asked if he would “not make things uncomfortable at work.”

Although some of their co-workers were aware of the unwanted advances, management said they never received any complaints. Rob Dubow told the outlet, “Unfortunately, we had no idea. Any time there is anything that requires our intervention, we step in. But in this case, we had no indication that there was anything awry.” The manager had nothing but kind things to say about the victim while speaking with the news station. “Nicole always had a smile on her face, and anybody who had any association with her couldn’t help but like her,” Dubow shared.

Around 6:59 a.m. on Monday, while getting out of her car for work, Hammond was fatally shot in the neck. The incident happened on Lincoln Avenue Northeast in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Later, Carpenter reportedly told police he argued with his co-worker the night before her death. The 36-year-old also told authorities he was at the scene of the shooting and left without dialing 911. Following the tragic incident, other employees claimed Hammond’s advances went on for more than a month.

According to Minnesota news station KSTP ABC 5, while Hammond made contradicting statements, he never admitted to killing his co-worker. If he is found guilty, he faces up to 40 years in prison.