Three Colorado teenagers, implicated in a fatal rock-throwing incident that claimed the life of 20-year-old Alexa Bartell last year, have entered not-guilty pleas. The trio will face separate trials this summer, according to court proceedings held in Jefferson County Court on Monday.
The defendants, Joseph Koenig, Nicholas "Mitch" Karol-Chik, and Zachary Kwak, each face 13 charges, including murder and attempted murder, in connection with the rock-throwing attacks that led to Bartell's death and injured others. On Monday, the court added four more charges against Koenig, including attempted murder and assault, following the emergence of two more victims linked to an incident on Feb. 25, 2023.
Bartell, a resident of Arvada, was fatally struck by a rock that crashed through her windshield while driving on the 10600 block of Indiana Street, near the Jefferson County and Boulder County lines, late at night on April 19, 2023. Her vehicle veered off the road and ended up in a field. She was on a phone call with a friend when she was hit, and the line abruptly went silent.
The suspects, all 18 years old and high school seniors at the time of their arrests, were allegedly involved in at least three separate incidents involving a total of 10 vehicles. Investigators have used cell phone location data, a method known as a "tower dump," to establish the suspects' presence in the area at the time of Bartell's killing.
The trials will be held separately, with Karol-Chik's trial scheduled to commence on June 7, Kwak's on June 24, and Koenig's on July 19. The defense has requested the judge to review the use of the cell phone data, with a ruling expected on May 7.
The tragic events of April 19, 2023, have led to a complex case, with each defendant seemingly prepared to accuse another of throwing the fatal rock. The case has also raised questions about the use of cell phone data in criminal investigations, a legal issue that may eventually reach higher courts.
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