Teens accused in Colorado rock-throwing death took “memento” photo of victim’s car

Three Colorado teens accused of throwing rocks and other objects at cars and killing a 20-year-old woman allegedly circled back to take a “memento” picture of her car after it drove off the road, CBS Colorado reported. The revelation came in court documents released Thursday.

Joseph Koenig, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak, all of whom are 18 and were living in the Denver suburb of Arvada, were arrested at their homes overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday. They are charged with first-degree murder with extreme indifference in the death of Alexa Bartell, who police said was killed after a rock thrown by the teens went threw her windshield and struck her.

Investigators said that Karol-Chik told them that Koenig was driving while Kwak was the one throwing the rocks. After Kwak allegedly threw the rock that hit Bartell, he said to the other two, “We have to go back and see that,” according to CBS Colorado. 

Kwak told investigators that he then took a picture of Bartell’s car, saying that one of them might want it for a “memento,” CBS Colorado reported. Kwak also admitted to being the one throwing the rocks, according to CBS Colorado.

Bartell, also of Arvada, was on the phone with a friend when she was struck, officials said. The phone went silent, and Bartell’s friend was able to find her by tracking the phone, police said. The friend found Bartell fatally injured in her car, which had driven off the road and into a field, the sheriff’s office said.  

The arrest affidavit also said the teens had been throwing rocks and other heavy objects at cars since at least February. On the night Bartell was killed, several other rock-throwing incidents linked to the three suspects occurred as well. Two other drivers suffered minor injuries.

According to the affidavit, a witness said he had been with the three teens in the parking lot of a local Walmart the night Bartell was killed, CBS Colorado reported. The witness said the suspects were loading landscaping rocks into a pickup truck, CBS Colorado reported. The witness said he did not get in the truck with them, according to the documents. 

All three suspects are being held without bond. They are due back in court Wednesday.