Three 18-year-old high school students in Arvada, Colorado, have been arrested for allegedly hurling large landscaping rocks at vehicles, resulting in the tragic death of a 20-year-old driver. The suspects now face first-degree murder charges due to extreme indifference.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests in a statement shared on their Facebook page and indicated that additional charges may be forthcoming. The suspects, identified as Joseph Koenig, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik, and Zachary Kwak, allegedly threw rocks during the incident. However, it remains unclear which of them was driving the car they were riding in.
The victim, Alexa Bartell, was struck by a rock while driving in Jefferson County at approximately 10:45 pm last Wednesday. Authorities report that Bartell was on the phone with a friend when the incident occurred. The friend subsequently used Bartell’s phone to track her location and discovered her lifeless body inside the car.
Officials also revealed that six other vehicles were targeted by rock-throwing in the hour preceding Bartell’s fatal encounter, with two motorists sustaining minor injuries.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office credited phone forensics and public leads for the arrests. The three suspects are scheduled to make their initial court appearance on Thursday.