Joel Hollendorfer was guilty of strangling Kara Nichols before reportedly burying her body in his backyard on top of the remains of a horse. Nichols worked as an escort and Hollendorfer was trying to set up a meeting between the two. Phone records show Hollendorfer was trying to set up a meeting between the two. Hollendorfer claimed they never ended up meeting because of disagreements on where the paid encounter would take place. During interviews with investigators, Hollendorfer's ex-wife said he had told her he accidently 'killed and strangled an escort' and 'buried the body on top of a horse at a farm owned by the Hollendorfer family,'. Joel Hollendorfer was found guilty of manslaughter. Under Colorado law manslaughter carries a two-to-six-year prison sentence.