Latest news with #rockthrowing
CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Third defendant sentenced to life without parole in Colorado prison in deadly rock-throwing case
The third and final defendant was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in a Jefferson County, Colorado courtroom on Tuesday for his role in a deadly rock-throwing case. A jury found Joseph Koenig guilty of first-degree murder in April after he threw a rock through the windshield of Alexa Bartell's moving vehicle, killing her. GOLDEN, CO - MAY 3: Defendant Joseph Koenig listens to First Judicial District Court Judge Christopher Zenisek as Koenig is formally charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault and attempted assault, in Jefferson County court on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images Koenig was also found guilty on 18 other counts for his role in throwing rocks at other vehicles in a series of incidents in Jefferson County that caused damage to vehicles and injuries to drivers. During the sentencing hearing, Bartell's mother gave an emotional statement. These moments, these milestones, were stolen from her and from me and from all of our family by these three individuals who made a conscious decision to hurl a rock through her windshield. They watched her car run off the road into the field, turned back and watched them, then got rid of the evidence, drove back to get a better look twice, took photos, whooped, and drove away. They never called for help. They made no effort to save her. Instead, they formed a pack to be blood brothers, as if taking my daughter's life was something to be proud of," said Kelly Bartell. "Alexa was my only child, my daughter, my best friend and the greatest joy of my life." Two co-defendants, Nicholas "Mitch" Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak, pleaded guilty last year for their roles in the 2023 attack. Both men testified against Koenig as part of their plea agreements. Both claimed that it was Koenig who threw the rock that killed Bartell. Zachary Kwak Jefferson County Last month, Kwak was sentenced to 27 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections for the first-degree assault charge relating to Bartell's death, five years in the DOC to be served consecutively for a second-degree assault charge in the series of rock-throwing attacks and another sentence of eight years in the DOC to be served concurrently for another count of second-degree assault for a total of 32 years in prison with 738 days credit for time served. Nicholas "Mitch" Karol-Chik Jefferson County The day before Kwak's sentencing, Nicholas "Mitch" James Karol-Chik was sentenced to 45 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors. Last May, he pleaded guilty to his role in a series of rock-throwing attacks between Feb. 25, 2023, and April 19, 2023. Alexa Bartell Alexa Bartell's family Twenty-year-old Bartell was struck and killed late at night on April 19, 2023, when she was struck by a rock that was thrown into her windshield. Several others were injured in similar incidents with what authorities described as "large landscaping rocks," concrete, and in one case, a statue. Her mom said losing her daughter has impacted every facet of her life, "It didn't just change my life. It changed who I am. Losing my daughter didn't just break my heart. It broke me. It shattered my soul. Everything I see and live is different now, my desires, my dreams, my relationships, all are touched by this grief. There isn't any part of my life that has not been touched by grief. My family will never be the same."
CBS News
16-05-2025
- CBS News
New Colorado rock throwing incident prompts felony investigation: "It's not a prank ... won't be tolerated"
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office says it will likely recommend felony charges against three Colorado elementary school students -- one an 11 year old and two others who are both 10 years old -- after they allegedly threw multiple large rocks from their school bus that then hit a car passing in the other direction. CBS "It's disturbing. It's absolutely not funny," said Jefferson County Sheriff's Public Information Officer Jacki Kelley. "It's not a prank. It's criminal and it won't be tolerated." She called the incident "eerily similar" to the 2023 rock throwing incident that killed Alexa Bartell. In that case, three men were in a speeding truck when one threw a landscaping rock that smashed through Bartell's windshield and killed the 20-year-old woman. The most recent incident occurred May 8 when the boys were headed to school on a Jefferson County Public Schools bus. According to investigators, two rocks were thrown from the bus at a car passing in the other direction. The rocks were "described to me as 6 inch boulders or landscaping rocks," said Kelley. She said one bounced off the car but another struck with such force that it became lodged in the car's radiator. The woman driving the car was not hurt, but her car received substantial damage, according to Kelley. "She stopped," said Kelley, "picked up one of the rocks, turned around and followed the bus to school." It had gone to Kyffin Elementary School in Golden, where Jeffco Public Schools staff members examined video from onboard cameras and were quickly able to identify the boys. The Jefferson County sheriff says when it presents its case to the district attorney, it will recommend felony criminal mischief charges against all three, along with charges of reckless endangerment -- a misdemeanor. "We're disturbed this is happening again," said Kelley. "It's not a prank and it won't be handled that way in Jeffco if this should happen again." CBS Parents of Kyffin students were notified of the incident via a letter from the school principal May 8. Pam Virden wrote that there had been "recent inappropriate behavior on your student's bus. We have received multiple reports about students throwing items out of the bus windows," said the letter. It did not mention the items were rocks. "This behavior is unacceptable," reads the letter, which says the school took disciplinary action. A school district spokesperson said, "the purpose of the letter was to provide enough information so that families could have a conversation with their children about appropriate behavior. The point was to reiterate what is expected of students when on the bus, not the incident itself." Asked if the May 8 case might be a "copycat" case stemming from publicity around the Bartell court proceedings, Kelley said she did not know but said "Anyone throwing projectiles at a driver of a moving vehicle should understand the potential consequences of doing that."
