GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — Three Denver-area teenagers cheered one another throughout an evening of throwing rocks at automobiles — till one of many stones crashed by way of a windshield and killed a woman, resulting in a homicide conviction Friday after the trio turned on each other.
Jurors discovered Joseph Koenig responsible of first-degree homicide within the demise of Alexa Bartell on April 19, 2023, after the opposite younger males driving with him reached offers with prosecutors and testified in opposition to him. Koenig, now 20, was additionally convicted of tried homicide and different much less critical crimes for rocks and different objects thrown at autos the evening Bartell was killed and in earlier weeks.
Bartell’s household and buddies hugged and cried in courtroom after the decision.
Her mom, Kelly Bartell, mentioned later that justice had been achieved however she had blended emotions, expressing some sympathy for Koenig and the opposite two younger males, who had been all 18 when her daughter was killed.
“It’s laborious to be blissful or really feel glad that justice was served at present, as a result of I really feel one wonderful life was misplaced and three others are additionally misplaced and impacted,” she mentioned.
Jurors needed to take into account shifting and competing variations of the reality provided by Koenig’s former co-defendants throughout the two-week trial.
Nobody disputed {that a} 9-pound (4-kilogram) landscaping rock taken from a Walmart parking zone crashed by way of Bartell’s windshield, killing her immediately. The problem was who threw it. The one DNA discovered on the rock was Bartell’s, making the testimony from the opposite two, Zachary Kwak and Nicholas Karol-Chik, key to the prosecution.
Legal professionals for Koenig mentioned Kwak threw the rock that killed Bartell. However Kwak and Karol-Chik, whose plea agreements on lesser expenses may result in shorter jail sentences, mentioned Koenig threw it. Though Karol-Chik mentioned they every threw about 10 rocks that evening, Kwak testified that he didn’t throw any.
Chief Deputy District Lawyer Katharine Decker advised jurors the injury to Bartell’s automotive was per Koenig — who’s left-handed and was driving — throwing the rock, shotput-style, out the motive force’s-side window, as Karol-Chik testified. Even when jurors had been unconvinced that Koenig threw it, she advised them, they need to nonetheless discover him responsible of first-degree homicide as a conspirator.
Koenig’s attorneys mentioned he didn’t know anybody had been damage till Bartell’s automotive went off the highway. In addition they argued that he had borderline persona dysfunction, affecting his impulse management and judgment.
Protection lawyer Martin Stuart requested jurors to as a substitute discover Koenig responsible of manslaughter, the least critical cost he confronted, saying he didn’t knowingly attempt to kill her. Jurors additionally had the choice of discovering him responsible of manslaughter as a conspirator.
After seeing Bartell’s automotive depart the highway, the three buddies circled again just a few occasions to look once more, in accordance with testimony. Kwak took a photo as a memento, however nobody checked on the motive force or known as for assist, in accordance with their testimony.
Bartell’s physique wouldn’t be found till her girlfriend, Jenna Griggs, who was on a name together with her when it abruptly minimize out, tracked her telephone to the sphere, she testified.
The three agreed to not speak to anybody about what occurred, however Kwak, the most recent to the group of buddies, later advised investigators that Koenig threw the rock. Karol-Chik, who mentioned Koenig was like a “brother” to him, initially pointed the finger at Kwak earlier than altering his story and blaming Koenig.
Karol-Chik testified that Koenig appeared “excited” as they drove by Bartell’s automotive and at one level made a “whoop” sound.
“It appeared like him celebrating,” mentioned Karol-Chik, who admitted putting the rock subsequent to Koenig so he may seize it and throw it.
Koenig’s attorneys tried to forged doubt on the reliability of the opposite males’s accounts but additionally harassed that not one of the three supposed to harm anybody. The protection declined to touch upon the conviction.
Kwak entered into a plea deal first, pleading responsible in Could 2024 to first-degree assault. In doing so he acknowledged appearing in a manner that created a grave threat of demise. He additionally pleaded responsible to second-degree assault and tried second-degree assault for rocks that had been thrown earlier within the evening. He faces between 20 and 32 years in jail, in accordance with prosecutors.
A few week later, Karol-Chik pleaded guilty to second-degree homicide and committing against the law of violence. He additionally pleaded responsible to tried first-degree homicide for throwing rocks at a complete of 9 folks that evening and earlier in 2023. Underneath his settlement, Karol-Chik might be despatched to jail for between 35 and 72 years when he’s sentenced Thursday, a day earlier than Kwak.
Koenig is to be sentenced June 3 and faces a compulsory life time period for the homicide conviction.
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This story has been up to date to appropriate that the rock was taken from a Walmart parking zone.
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