A trial for the third and final suspect in the 2023 death of 20-year-old Alexa Bartell began Monday.
Bartell was killed around 11 p.m. on April 19, 2023, when a large landscaping rock was thrown through her windshield while she was driving near the Jefferson and Boulder County lines on the way to her girlfriend’s house.
Joseph Koenig, Nicholas Karol-Chik, and Zachary Kwak were arrested about a week later after cell phone records showed them in the area where Bartell died and other locations where drivers had been hit by rocks.
All three were arrested and charged with her murder and for purposefully throwing rocks at vehicles.
On trial this week is Joseph Koenig. He’s accused of first-degree murder with extreme indifference for human life, along with multiple counts of attempted murder and assault. Initially, all three men faced the same charges, however, the other defendants, Nicholas Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak have both taken plea deals. They will serve shorter sentences for cooperating with prosecutors in the case.
Koenig’s trial was originally set for last summer, but was delayed due to a required mental status evaluation involving his ADHD diagnosis.
During opening statements Monday, prosecutors argued Koenig knew the risk of his actions. They told the jury it was Koenig who threw the rock that killed Bartell.
“He didn’t do this just once out of curiosity. The defendant did this over and over. Ten times on three separate nights,” said prosecutor Katharine Decker. “What the evidence needs to prove is that the defendant knowingly engaged in conduct that endangered someone else.”
But, the defense argued Koenig is only guilty of manslaughter not murder.
“In his mind, they weren’t targeting drivers, they were targeting cars,” said defense attorney Thomas Ward. He told the jury that evidence will show that none of the men threw the rocks with the purpose of hurting people.
The defense lawyer also told the jury that it was Kwak who threw the rock that killed Bartell, not Koenig. “At the end of this case we will ask you to find him guilty – but only of the crimes that he actually committed,” he said.
After opening statements, the jury heard testimony from Bartell’s mother, officers who arrived on scene, and Bartell’s girlfriend, who found Bartell dead in her car.
The trial is set to last through April 21 and will feature testimony from a brain development expert, other drivers whose vehicles were hit by the rocks allegedly thrown by the men, and the three men accused in Bartell’s death.
Karol-Chik pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and multiple counts of assault and is facing a minimum of 35 years and up to 72 years in prison. Kwak pleaded guilty to assault and is facing between 20 and 32 years in prison.
Sentencing for Karol-Chik and Kwak has been scheduled for May 1 and May 2, respectively.
