On April 19, 2023, a 20-year-old woman named Alexa Bartell was driving on the road to Jefferson County, Colorado, when she was struck and killed by a large landscaping rock that smashed through her windshield.
She was on the phone with a friend at the time, who heard the phone go silent and tracked her location to find her fatally wounded in her car, which had veered off the road and into a field.
Alexa Bartell was the last victim of a series of rock-throwing attacks that night, carried out by three 18-year-old suspects who were driving around in a black 2016 Chevy Silverado.
The suspects, Joseph Koenig, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik, and Zachary Kwak, all from Arvada, Colorado, threw rocks at several vehicles between 10:00 p.m. and 10:45 p.m., injuring two other people but causing no other fatalities.
The suspects were arrested on April 26, 2023, after investigators used mobile device forensics and information from the public to identify them.
They are facing charges of first-degree murder with extreme indifference, which means they acted with an attitude of universal malice and created a grave risk of death to others. Additional charges are expected to be filed.
The motive for the rock-throwing spree is unclear, but one of the suspects, Karol-Chik, told investigators that they took a rock from each scene as a memento.
He also said that Koenig was driving the vehicle while Kwak was the one throwing the rocks.
The murder of Alexa Bartell shocked and saddened the community, and her family and friends described her as a kind, caring and adventurous person who loved animals and nature.
She had recently graduated from college and was working as a veterinary technician.
The case also raised questions about the legal system and the accountability of young offenders who commit violent crimes.
If convicted, the suspects are being tried as adults and could face life in prison without parole.
Some experts argue that such harsh sentences are counterproductive and fail to address the underlying causes of juvenile delinquency.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJTH4X-ni0g
Others contend that extreme indifference murder is a heinous crime that deserves severe punishment regardless of age.
The trial of the three suspects is scheduled to begin in June 2023.
The prosecution is expected to present evidence from witnesses, surveillance footage, phone records, and forensic analysis to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The defense is likely to challenge the validity of some of the evidence and seek to cast doubt on the intent and involvement of each suspect.
The jury will have to decide whether the suspects acted with extreme indifference to human life or whether they were just reckless teenagers who made a tragic mistake.