(Trends Wide) — Three suspects were each charged with premeditated murder in the death of a 20-year-old woman on a Colorado highway last month, who died after a large rock was allegedly thrown at her car and went through her windshield, prosecutors said Wednesday. Wednesday.
Nicholas Karol-Chik, Joseph Koenig and Zachary Kwak each face more than a dozen charges in total for the murder of Alexa Bartell, who was found dead in her car, and the injury of three others when multiple moving vehicles were struck by rocks on the night of April 19, according to a statement from the Colorado 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
In addition to the murder charges, the suspects, who were 18 years old at the time of the arrest, also face six counts of attempted premeditated murder, three counts of second-degree assault, and three counts of attempted second-degree murder.
The suspects have not pleaded guilty. Trends Wide has reached out to his attorneys for comment.
Alexa Bartell, 20, was killed on April 19 when a large rock was thrown at her car in Colorado. (Credit: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)
Bartell was driving in northern Jefferson County, just northwest of Denver, when one of the suspects allegedly threw a large rock at his Chevrolet Spark, causing it to crash into a field, according to arrest affidavits.
After the deadly attack, Kwak, who allegedly threw the stone that killed the woman, said, “We have to go back and see that,” according to affidavits. Kwak then took a photo of the crash, authorities say.
When police investigators asked why, Kwak said he thought Karol-Chik or Koenig “would want it as a souvenir,” according to the affidavit.
The day after Bartell’s murder, Koenig and Kwak met and “attempted to clarify their stories about (what) happened, specifically denying their involvement,” the affidavits say.
Bartell was on the phone with a friend when their conversation ended suddenly, according to police. Using the Find My iPhone app, his friend found Bartell and his phone in a field south of State Highway 128, according to affidavits.
The friend found Bartell immobile and with a significant head injury in the driver’s seat, according to the documents.
The suspects were allegedly involved in other incidents of throwing rocks at moving cars, the documents show. Karol-Chik and Koenig “have been involved in throwing objects since at least February on ten separate days,” Karol-Chik reportedly said.
The suspects are being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail.
— Trends Wide’s Aya Elamroussi, Ray Sanchez, Michelle Watson, Sarah Dewberry and Rachel Webb contributed to this report.
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(Trends Wide) — Three suspects were each charged with premeditated murder in the death of a 20-year-old woman on a Colorado highway last month, who died after a large rock was allegedly thrown at her car and went through her windshield, prosecutors said Wednesday. Wednesday.
Nicholas Karol-Chik, Joseph Koenig and Zachary Kwak each face more than a dozen charges in total for the murder of Alexa Bartell, who was found dead in her car, and the injury of three others when multiple moving vehicles were struck by rocks on the night of April 19, according to a statement from the Colorado 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
In addition to the murder charges, the suspects, who were 18 years old at the time of the arrest, also face six counts of attempted premeditated murder, three counts of second-degree assault, and three counts of attempted second-degree murder.
The suspects have not pleaded guilty. Trends Wide has reached out to his attorneys for comment.
Alexa Bartell, 20, was killed on April 19 when a large rock was thrown at her car in Colorado. (Credit: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)
Bartell was driving in northern Jefferson County, just northwest of Denver, when one of the suspects allegedly threw a large rock at his Chevrolet Spark, causing it to crash into a field, according to arrest affidavits.
After the deadly attack, Kwak, who allegedly threw the stone that killed the woman, said, “We have to go back and see that,” according to affidavits. Kwak then took a photo of the crash, authorities say.
When police investigators asked why, Kwak said he thought Karol-Chik or Koenig “would want it as a souvenir,” according to the affidavit.
The day after Bartell’s murder, Koenig and Kwak met and “attempted to clarify their stories about (what) happened, specifically denying their involvement,” the affidavits say.
Bartell was on the phone with a friend when their conversation ended suddenly, according to police. Using the Find My iPhone app, his friend found Bartell and his phone in a field south of State Highway 128, according to affidavits.
The friend found Bartell immobile and with a significant head injury in the driver’s seat, according to the documents.
The suspects were allegedly involved in other incidents of throwing rocks at moving cars, the documents show. Karol-Chik and Koenig “have been involved in throwing objects since at least February on ten separate days,” Karol-Chik reportedly said.
The suspects are being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail.
— Trends Wide’s Aya Elamroussi, Ray Sanchez, Michelle Watson, Sarah Dewberry and Rachel Webb contributed to this report.
