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Rock-throwing homicide suspects’ a davits paint grim portrait of April 19 events

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motorists whose vehicles were hit by large landscaping rocks on the night of April 19.

While Koenig declined to be interviewed by investigators, KarolChik and Kwak gave somewhat conflicting accounts that point to a repeated pattern of throwing projectiles at moving vehicles.

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arrest affidavits — including statements from two of the three suspects — in the rock-throwing death of Alexa Bartell suggest that suspects Joseph Koenig, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak have a history of throwing projectiles at cars, photographed Bartell’s car after throwing a fatal rock through her windshield, and discussed plans to deny involvement in the crime.

Koenig, Karol-Chik and Kwak — all 18-year-old residents of Arvada — were taken into custody by Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies on the evening of April 25, almost a week after the murder of 20-yearold Bartell, who was one of seven

Karol-Chik told investigators that he and Koenig had been involved in throwing objects — including a statue and other rocks — on “at least 10 separate days” since at least February.

The following account is based on the allegations in the affidavits: On April 19, Karol-Chik and Koenig bought a “project” car, according to Karol-Chik, around 4 or 5 p.m., after which Karol-Chik moved the car to a friend’s house, drove to Kwak’s house to pick him up, and then continued to get Koenig.

Karol-Chik’s statement says that he and Kwak both collected landscaping rocks from the Walmart on 72nd Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, loading them into the bed of Karol-Chik’s pickup, a Chevrolet Silverado 1500.

A fourth man said he was with the trio at the Walmart, but asked to be taken home when he suspected the group might be preparing for trouble. The fourth man said the group was loading up “as much (rocks) as they could carry” into the vehicle, and said Koenig frequently participates in disruptive behavior because he likes to cause “chaos.”

Investigators used cell phone data and crime reports to determine that the rock that killed Bartell was one of seven incidents of landscaping rocks being thrown at cars in a large, semi-circular area stretching from Highway 72 in the south, Highway 93 in the east, Highway 128 in the north and Indiana Street in the west.

Kwak’s statement claims that while the trio was traveling around, Koenig was driving the vehicle, Karol-Chik was riding in the front passenger seat, and Kwak was in the back row behind Karol-Chik. Kwak said Karol-Chik was using “marine terms” as the rocks were thrown, such as “contact left” before Koenig would throw a rock at a car to the left of theirs.

Kwak said Koenig threw the rock that killed Bartell.

Kwak said that Koenig sped up as the group’s vehicle approached Bartell, then threw a rock out the window that made a loud sound, like a “rail gun” shooting a block of concrete. Afterward, Kwak noticed that Bartell’s vehicle had left the roadway. They reached the next intersection and turned around to return to where it left the road.

As they passed Bartell’s vehicle, Kwak took a picture of Bartell’s vehicle. He told investigators that he thought Karol-Chik or Koenig would want it as a memento. Karol-Chik said all three suspects threw rocks at cars. He claimed that Kwak threw the rock that killed Bartell, and corroborated Kwak’s account that the trio turned back toward Bartell’s car so that Kwak could take a photo. Karol-Chik said that at this point in the night, he felt “a hint of guilt.”

Kwak said that after circling back to Bartell’s car, Koenig took him home. He told investigators that Koenig and Karol-Chik discussed now being “blood brothers” and stated that they could never speak of the incident. Kwak also said that Koenig came to his house the next day to get their stories straight, specifically to deny any involvement in the events of the previous night.

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