Teens' night of rock throwing leads to murder conviction for man, now 20

Three Denver-area teenagers cheered each different during a nighttime of throwing rocks astatine cars — until 1 of the stones crashed done a windshield and killed a woman, starring to a execution condemnation Friday aft the trio turned connected 1 another.

Jurors recovered Joseph Koenig blameworthy of first-degree execution successful the decease of Alexa Bartell connected April 19, 2023, aft the different young men riding with him reached deals with prosecutors and testified against him. Koenig, present 20, was besides convicted of attempted execution and different little superior crimes for rocks and different objects thrown astatine vehicles the nighttime Bartell was killed and successful erstwhile weeks.

COLORADO TEENS ARRESTED IN ROCK-THROWING ATTACKS TOOK PHOTOS OF MURDERED WOMAN'S CAR AS 'MEMENTO': POLICE

Bartell’s household and friends hugged and cried successful tribunal aft the verdict.

Her mother, Kelly Bartell, said aboriginal that justness had been done but she had mixed feelings, expressing immoderate sympathy for Koenig and the different 2 young men, who were each 18 erstwhile her girl was killed.

"It’s hard to beryllium blessed oregon consciousness satisfied that justness was served today, due to the fact that I consciousness 1 astonishing beingness was mislaid and 3 others are besides mislaid and impacted," she said.

Jurors had to see shifting and competing versions of the information offered by Koenig's erstwhile co-defendants during the two-week trial.

Kelly Bartell, the parent of Alexa Bartell who died aft a stone crashed done the windshield of her car, speaks astatine Jefferson Combined Court successful Golden, Colo., connected Friday.  (AP Photo/Colleen Slevin)

No 1 disputed that a 9-pound (4-kilogram) landscaping stone taken from a Walmart parking batch crashed done Bartell’s windshield, sidesplitting her instantly. The contented was who threw it. The lone DNA recovered connected the stone was Bartell’s, making the grounds from the different two, Zachary Kwak and Nicholas Karol-Chik, cardinal to the prosecution.

Lawyers for Koenig said Kwak threw the stone that killed Bartell. But Kwak and Karol-Chik, whose plea agreements connected lesser charges could pb to shorter situation sentences, said Koenig threw it. Although Karol-Chik said they each threw astir 10 rocks that night, Kwak testified that helium did not propulsion any.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Katharine Decker told jurors the harm to Bartell’s car was accordant with Koenig — who is left-handed and was driving — throwing the rock, shotput-style, retired the driver’s-side window, arsenic Karol-Chik testified. Even if jurors were unconvinced that Koenig threw it, she told them, they should inactive find him blameworthy of first-degree execution arsenic a conspirator.

Koenig’s attorneys said helium did not cognize anyone had been wounded until Bartell’s car went disconnected the road. They besides argued that helium had borderline property disorder, affecting his impulse power and judgment.

Defense lawyer Martin Stuart asked jurors to alternatively find Koenig blameworthy of manslaughter, the slightest superior complaint helium faced, saying helium did not knowingly effort to termination her. Jurors besides had the enactment of uncovering him blameworthy of manslaughter arsenic a conspirator.

After seeing Bartell’s car permission the road, the 3 friends circled backmost a fewer times to look again, according to testimony. Kwak took a photograph arsenic a memento, but nary 1 checked connected the operator oregon called for help, according to their testimony.

Bartell’s assemblage would not beryllium discovered until her girlfriend, Jenna Griggs, who was connected a telephone with her erstwhile it abruptly chopped out, tracked her telephone to the field, she testified.

The 3 agreed not to speech to anyone astir what happened, but Kwak, the newest to the radical of friends, aboriginal told investigators that Koenig threw the rock. Karol-Chik, who said Koenig was similar a "brother" to him, initially pointed the digit astatine Kwak earlier changing his communicative and blaming Koenig.

Karol-Chik testified that Koenig seemed "excited" arsenic they drove by Bartell’s car and astatine 1 constituent made a "whoop" sound.

"It sounded similar him celebrating," said Karol-Chik, who admitted placing the stone adjacent to Koenig truthful helium could drawback it and propulsion it.

Koenig’s lawyers tried to formed uncertainty connected the reliability of the different men’s accounts but besides stressed that nary of the 3 intended to wounded anyone. The defence declined to remark connected the conviction.

Kwak entered into a plea woody first, pleading blameworthy successful May 2024 to first-degree assault. In doing truthful helium acknowledged acting successful a mode that created a sedate hazard of death. He besides pleaded blameworthy to second-degree battle and attempted second-degree battle for rocks that were thrown earlier successful the night. He faces betwixt 20 and 32 years successful prison, according to prosecutors.

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About a week later, Karol-Chik pleaded blameworthy to second-degree execution and committing a transgression of violence. He besides pleaded blameworthy to attempted first-degree execution for throwing rocks astatine a full of 9 radical that nighttime and earlier successful 2023. Under his agreement, Karol-Chik could beryllium sent to situation for betwixt 35 and 72 years erstwhile helium is sentenced Thursday, a time earlier Kwak.

Koenig is to beryllium sentenced June 3 and faces a mandatory beingness word for the execution conviction.