A young woman’s life was tragically cut short when her car was struck by a rock, leading to her untimely death.
The appalling incident occurred last week when a young woman, Alexa Bartell, 20, lost her life in a rock throwing attack while driving in Colorado.
In earlier related incidents on the same day, two other people were injured and seven vehicles were damaged. The police have now arrested three suspects in connection with the crime.
18-year-olds Joseph Koenig, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik, and Zachary Kwak were all taken into custody after a thorough investigation. All three individuals face first-degree murder charges for their involvement in the fatal rock throwing attack. It has been revealed that the suspects are all high school seniors, with one attending Ralston Valley High School, one going to Standley Lake High School in Westminster, and the other attending an online school.
The night of the attack, the driver, Bartell was on the phone with a friend when the call ended abruptly, raising concern for the caller. The friend tracked Bartell’s phone and discovered her lifeless body in the car, which had come to a halt in a nearby field.
Investigations revealed that the rocks recovered from the scene weighed between three and five pounds, with some even penetrating the interior of the car, causing Bartell’s fatal injuries.
The police believe that the suspects were in a moving vehicle when the rocks were thrown. The crime spree began shortly after 10 p.m. in Westminster at the intersection of 100th Avenue and Simms Street, just north of Standley Lake. The final attack occurred approximately 45 minutes later and two miles away, resulting in the death of Bartell.
Two other people were also injured in earlier rock attacks that same night. Seven vehicles were hit by what police say were “large landscaping rocks.”
