Rock Thrown Through Windshield Kills Colorado Woman

This is so senseless.

A group of three teenagers were arrested after 20-year-old Alexa Bartell was killed by a large rock thrown through her windshield. The victim was driving near Standley Lake, northwest of Denver, just before 11 pm on April 19 as she talked to a friend on her phone. Suddenly, the friend heard the phone go completely silent.

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Concerned, the friend tracked Alexa’s phone to a field by the road. There was Alexa in her vehicle suffering from a fatal wound. Immediately, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office started asking the public for help tracking down a suspect vehicle as well as handing over dashcam and home surveillance footage from the area.

Two other victims of rock throwings on the night of April 19 came forward. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, but both vehicles sustained glass damage. A reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect(s) increased from $2,000 to $17,000 as people in the metropolitan Denver area wondered who would throw large rocks at other vehicles.

As the search intensified, Westminster Police, Arvada Police, and the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office joined in the manhunt. Finally, they arrested three 18-year-olds from Arvada: Joseph Koenig, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik, and Zachary Kwak. They’re now facing charges of First Degree Murder, Extreme Indifference with more likely to come.

Even though the suspects have been taken into custody, the question still remains: who would do such a thing? It’s doubtful anyone would think throwing large rocks through car windows as they travel down the road is just harmless fun. At the very least, doing so would almost certainly lead to serious injuries, and the risk of death would be high. Sadly, this fact might haunt the victim’s family for a long time as well as the public at large.

By Steven Symes

Steven Symes is an accomplished automotive journalist with a passion for all things related to cars. His extensive knowledge and love for the automotive world shine through in his writing, which covers a diverse range of topics.

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