Zachary Kwak (left), Joseph Koenig (center), and Nicholas Karol-Chik (right) claimed to be ‘blood brothers’ after throwing the rock that struck Alexa Bartell through her windshield (Credit: AP)
The three teenagers charged with murder for throwing rocks that killed a woman in Colorado took photos of her wrecked car as a ‘memento,’ investigators said.
Court documents released on Thursday revealed more details about Joseph Koenig, Nicholas ‘Mitch’ Karol-Chik, and Zachary Kwak, the 18-year-old suspects accused of throwing rocks at seven cars that eventually lead to the death of Alexa Bartell.
According to the affidavit, police arrived to find Bartell dead in the front seat of the car. They determined that she was not killed as a result of an accident, but instead of ‘an object penetrating the windshield and striking Alexa in the head.’
It also revealed that a fourth teenager, Joseph Bopp, was with the trio earlier in the night and spoke to police about the events leading up to the rock-throwing crime spree.
Alexa Bartell, 20, was killed after a large rock smashed through her windshield in Colorado (Picture: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)
‘Koenig, Mitch, and Zach were picking up landscaping rocks from the edge of the parking lot and putting them in the back seat of the truck’s cab,’ the affidavit states.
The witness later told police that ‘he knew something bad was going to happen, so he insisted they [the suspects] take him home.’ When they dropped him off, the witness said Koenig was driving, Karol-Chik was in the passenger seat, and Kwak was in the back seat.
Police arrested Koenig, Karol-Chik, and Kwak on Tuesday from their homes in the Denver suburb of Arvada. Koenig refused to speak with investigators, but Karol-Chik and Kwak confessed to their roles in the crimes.
Investigators determined Bartell was killed by the rock, not by the accident following the attack (Picture: CBS News)
Karol-Chik initially blamed the rock-throwing on Kwak, but later admitted that all three suspects had taken part. According to the teenager, after striking Bartell’s windshield, Kwak made them turn around and take a photo of the crashed car, which ended up in a nearby field.
‘We have to go back and see it,’ Kwak allegedly said.
When he was questioned, Kwak confirmed the story. He said that he assumed the other two teens would want the photo as a ‘memento,’ as Karol-Chik and Koenig were talking about being ‘blood brothers.’
Kwak also told the investigators that he met up with the two other suspects the next day in order to get their stories straight.
The three teenagers are each charged with first-degree murder with extreme indifference. They are due back in court on Tuesday, May 2.
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The trio claimed to be ‘blood brothers’ after throwing the rock that struck Alexa Bartell through her windshield.