JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Two defendants in a Jefferson County case, where a young woman was killed after a rock was thrown through her windshield, now face additional charges in connection with a separate alleged attack.
Brionna Boatright with the First District Attorney’s Office said defendants Joseph Koenig and Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik now both face an added charge of attempted first-degree murder and attempted second-degree assault. The charges were filed on Aug. 30.
The new charges stem from an incident on April 1, 2023, almost three weeks before Alexa Bartell, 20, of Arvada, was killed.
Affidavit: Rock-throwing suspects returned to JeffCo fatal crash to take photo
In the April 1 crime, somebody threw a statue head at a moving car in Arvada, the district attorney’s office said.
On April 19 between 10 and 10:35 p.m., seven vehicles were hit by rocks in northwestern Jefferson County, according to the sheriff’s office. Bartell was killed around 10:45 p.m. after a rock crashed into her windshield as she drove northbound on Indiana Street in Jefferson County.
The below timeline and map shows the reported incidents from that evening.
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Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
The three suspects, all 18-year-old high school seniors at the time, were arrested a week later on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, second-degree assault and attempted second-degree assault in connection with the series of crimes.
They allegedly drove by Bartell’s crashed vehicle to take a photo as a memento, an arrest affidavit reads.
The third defendant in this case, Zachary Kwak, was allegedly not involved in the April 1 incident.
In June, prosecutors said the three suspects were a flight risk and since they all live in affluent neighborhoods, their families could post a $1 million bond. They requested a $10 cash-only million bond. The defense argued for lower bonds for all three. First Judicial District Judge Christopher Zenisek set bond at $2 million cash-only for all three defendants after emotional pleas from Bartell’s family and partner.
They are set for a preliminary hearing at 1 p.m. on Friday.
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