The Caroline Nosal shooting was the February 2, 2016, murder of a 24-year-old assistant produce manager in the parking lot of the Metro Market grocery store on Madison’s east side. She was shot by Christopher O’Kroley, a former coworker she had reported to management for harassment days earlier. O’Kroley pleaded guilty, received a life sentence, and died in prison the following year. Her parents later sued the store’s corporate owners and became public advocates for gun law reform in Wisconsin.
Who Caroline Nosal Was
Caroline Elizabeth Nosal was born on May 1, 1991, in Rockford, Illinois, and grew up in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. She graduated from Sun Prairie High School in 2010 and attended Madison Area Technical College.1Cress Funeral Service. Caroline Nosal Obituary At the time of her death she was working as an assistant produce manager at the Metro Market at 6010 Cottage Grove Road.
What Happened at the Metro Market
Nosal and Christopher O’Kroley worked together at the store and had been friends. The relationship broke down after Nosal reported to management that O’Kroley was involved with a minor employee and was harassing her. He began sending her threatening text messages, which she reported to supervisors on January 23, 2016.2HN Gnews. Caroline Nosal’s Parents Sue Grocery Store for Not Protecting Her From Coworker Who Killed Her She started carrying pepper spray and asked coworkers to walk her to her car.
The store suspended O’Kroley with pay on January 24 and fired him by phone shortly afterward. He later told investigators he had already decided during the suspension that he would kill Nosal if he lost the job.3FOX 6 Now. Homicide in Madison: 26-Year-Old Man Tells Investigators Co-Worker He Killed Ruined His Life After the firing he bought a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and ammunition at a Cabela’s in Sun Prairie, then contacted former coworkers under the pretense of arranging to collect his belongings without running into Nosal. One employee told him her shift ended at 8:00 p.m.2HN Gnews. Caroline Nosal’s Parents Sue Grocery Store for Not Protecting Her From Coworker Who Killed Her
On the evening of February 2, 2016, O’Kroley waited in the Metro Market parking lot. When Nosal walked out after her shift, he shot her in the chest and then, after she fell, in the head. She died at the scene. He told investigators afterward that Nosal had “ruined my life” and that killing her was “easy.”4The Independent. Man Says It Was Easy to Murder Woman After She Rejected Him
Manhunt and the Officer Shooting
O’Kroley fled and later said he had planned to kill himself but could not go through with it, and instead tried to carjack a vehicle. The next day, February 3, 2016, Madison police officer Michele Walker attempted to arrest him near the East Towne Mall. O’Kroley fired twice at her and struck her. Walker survived.5HN Gnews. O’Kroley Sentenced to Life in Murder Case O’Kroley was arrested and held on $1 million bail.3FOX 6 Now. Homicide in Madison: 26-Year-Old Man Tells Investigators Co-Worker He Killed Ruined His Life
The Guilty Plea and Life Sentence
O’Kroley was charged with first-degree intentional homicide for killing Nosal and first-degree recklessly endangering safety for shooting at Officer Walker. He pleaded guilty to both counts in July 2016.6WMTV. Serving Life in Prison, O’Kroley Found Dead
At sentencing in September 2016, Dane County Circuit Judge William Hanrahan imposed a life sentence on the homicide count with a 40-year minimum before parole eligibility, meaning O’Kroley could not seek release until 2056. A consecutive 10-year sentence followed for the shooting of Officer Walker, split between five years of incarceration and five years of extended supervision.7Wisconsin Law Journal. Madison Man Who Fatally Shot Co-Worker Gets Life Sentence Sexual assault charges involving another alleged victim were dismissed as part of the plea agreement, though Hanrahan said he weighed the allegations at sentencing.8HN Gnews. Nosal’s Daughter’s Murder Could Have Been Prevented
Addressing O’Kroley from the bench, Hanrahan said: “Be clear about this, whatever thrill, whatever twisted gratification came with being a stalker, a rapist, a murderer, there is a cost and it is a big cost.”9Channel 3000. Metro Market Shooter Did Something Evil and He Knows It, Defense Lawyer Says Caroline’s father, Jim Nosal, told reporters he found the sentence fair.10WMTV. Judge Sentences O’Kroley
O’Kroley’s Death in Prison
On the morning of May 2, 2017, O’Kroley was found dead in his cell at the Waupun Correctional Institution. His death was reported as an apparent suicide.11Fox 47. Nosal Family: Metro Market Shooter Commits Suicide in Prison The Wisconsin Department of Corrections opened an internal review, which it described as standard practice when an inmate dies.12FOX 6 Now. Man Serving Life Sentence for Metro Market Murder Found Dead
The Wrongful Death Lawsuit
In January 2019, James and Jane Nosal sued Metro Market’s corporate owners, Roundy’s Supermarket and the Kroger Company, alleging the store failed to protect their daughter despite documented threats from O’Kroley and prior complaints about his behavior toward female employees.2HN Gnews. Caroline Nosal’s Parents Sue Grocery Store for Not Protecting Her From Coworker Who Killed Her The federal case, Nosal, James v. The Kroger Company Foundation (Case No. 3:18-cv-00479), was filed in the Western District of Wisconsin and assigned to Judge James Donald Peterson.
On April 30, 2019, Judge Peterson granted Kroger’s motion to dismiss and a motion to strike and entered judgment for the defendant. The case was formally terminated on May 3, 2019.13CourtListener. Nosal, James v. The Kroger Company Foundation
A parallel state action in Dane County Circuit Court survived an early challenge. In October 2019, Judge Peter Anderson denied a defense motion to dismiss and ordered a three-month discovery period, noting the case would “likely stand or fall” on whether the parking lot where Nosal was killed counted as part of the workplace for workers’ compensation purposes, which would affect the family’s ability to bring a separate tort claim.14WMTV. There Is No Justice for Us: Nosal Family on Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The Push to Restore Wisconsin’s Waiting Period
One fact became central to the Nosal family’s advocacy. O’Kroley bought the handgun he used to kill Caroline within a day of being fired, something he could do because Wisconsin had repealed its 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases in 2015, months before the murder.8HN Gnews. Nosal’s Daughter’s Murder Could Have Been Prevented James and Jane Nosal joined the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) and campaigned to reinstate the waiting period.
They also pressed for stronger background check standards. Under Wisconsin law at the time, the state Department of Justice could deny a gun transfer only if a person had been committed to a mental health facility and explicitly ordered not to possess a firearm. O’Kroley had documented mental health issues going back to age 10 but no such order, and he passed the check.8HN Gnews. Nosal’s Daughter’s Murder Could Have Been Prevented The family also called on OSHA and other agencies to do more to identify workplace violence risk factors and set prevention policies.
On February 2, 2022, the sixth anniversary of Caroline’s death, State Senator Melissa Agard and State Representative Shelia Stubbs, both Madison Democrats, introduced a bill to reinstate the 48-hour waiting period. James Nosal spoke at the announcement and asked, “If he had had to wait 48 hours, would he have rethought his plan?”15WKOW. Democrats Introduce Gun Safety Legislation in Honor of Caroline Nosal The bill did not advance in the Republican-controlled legislature.16WXPR. Wisconsin Democrats Seek to Reestablish Handgun Purchase Waiting Period