Three Colorado teenagers, implicated in a fatal rock-throwing incident that claimed the life of 20-year-old Alexa Bartell last year, have pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges. The trials are set to commence this summer, as reported by the Jefferson County Court on Monday.
The suspects, 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 resulted in Bartell's death and injured several others. The court added four more charges, including attempted murder and assault, to Koenig's list after two more victims came forward in relation to an incident that occurred on February 25, 2023.
Investigators believe that a total of 10 vehicles were involved in at least three separate incidents linked to the suspects. The trials for the accused will be held separately, with Karol-Chik's trial scheduled to start on June 7, Kwak's on June 24, and Koenig's on July 19.
The fatal incident occurred late at night on April 19, 2023, when Bartell, a resident of Arvada, was driving along the 10600 block of Indiana Street near the Jefferson County and Boulder County lines. A rock, believed to be thrown by the suspects, crashed through her windshield, causing her vehicle to veer off the road and into a field. Bartell was on a phone call with a friend when she was struck, and the line abruptly went silent.
The suspects, all 18 years old and high school seniors at the time of their arrests, attended different schools. One was enrolled at Ralston Valley High School, another at Standley Lake High School in Westminster, and the third attended an online school.
In a twist of the investigation, detectives used a "tower dump" of cell phone location data to pinpoint the suspects. This method, which involves collecting data from all phones in a given area at the time of a crime, has raised questions about privacy rights and the legality of such broad data collection. Veteran prosecution and defense attorney Karen Steinhauser noted, "This isn't settled law."
The defense has requested the judge to review the use of this data, with a ruling expected on May 7. As the case unfolds, it not only seeks justice for Bartell but also probes the boundaries of privacy rights in criminal investigations.
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