Three males charged in a lethal rock-throwing spree that killed a 20-year-old girl have been linked to comparable assaults through which rocks narrowly missed the top of 1 driver and flung shattered glass into the eyes of others, a lead detective alleged in courtroom Wednesday.
A string of assaults have been detailed in a Jefferson County courtroom as prosecutors laid out the proof in opposition to Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik, Joseph Koenig and Zachary Kwak, who’re accused of hurling 4-to-6-inch landscaping rocks at seven shifting automobiles April 19 in Jefferson and Boulder counties, injuring a number of folks and killing Alexa Bartell.
A decide certain over all three males for trial on the finish of the listening to.
Lead detective Dan Manka, with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Workplace, testified that the three males have been touring at 80 mph when somebody contained in the automotive threw the 4-to-6 inch landscaping rock into Bartell’s automotive. After the assault, the driving force circled and all three males returned to her automotive stranded hundred of ft off the street in a area to take a photograph for a “reminiscence sake.” None referred to as police earlier than returning to their suburban Denver houses, he mentioned.
Bartell had huge head trauma and was slumped within the driver’s seat of her yellow Chevrolet Spark. Within the street, police discovered a landscaping rock, along with her partial DNA on it, Manka mentioned.
Six different automobiles have been struck earlier than Bartell’s, Manka mentioned, together with one whose driver mentioned the rock narrowly missed his head after plunging by his windshield close to his line of sight. Three drivers reported they have been injured with shattered glass lodged of their eyes, fingers and neck.
The motive force who was almost hit within the head mentioned if the rock was any greater, it might have killed him, Manka mentioned.
Throughout an interview with police, Karol-Chik initially denied being concerned however later admitted to encouraging his pals to throw rocks at shifting automobiles and mentioned he was involved that he had carried out one thing that was going to wreck the remainder of his life, Manka mentioned. After seeing Bartell’s automotive, Karol-Chik mentioned he “had a touch of guilt” and a “horrible intestine feeling.”
Kwak denied all involvement till an hour and 13 minutes right into a police interrogation, in line with a transcript offered in courtroom. He later mentioned to Manka: “I need to make it very clear that I didn’t kill that lady. I didn’t throw that rock. I don’t know what they informed you, I don’t know what you assume occurred, I didn’t throw that rock,” in line with courtroom testimony.
After putting Bartell’s automotive, Kwak informed police there was “pleasure” within the automotive, prompting Koenig to drive again to the sphere, Manka mentioned. Kwak mentioned he took a photograph of Bartell’s automotive and later deleted it, however cellphone logs present his cellphone digicam was used shortly after investigators consider Bartell was struck.
Karol-Chik informed investigators that he and two pals started throwing rocks at stationary automobiles earlier than transitioning to shifting automobiles. Karol-Chik mentioned all three males hurled rocks whereas Koenig drove Karol-Chik’s truck.
He informed police he felt he and his pals “took it too far” by throwing rocks at shifting automobiles. The next morning, the three met at a Denny’s and Koenig mentioned they “needed to provide you with a narrative” about what occurred, Kwak mentioned, in line with Manka.
Koenig has refused to be interviewed by police.
Throughout cross examination, protection attorneys argued that the estimated pace of an individual’s automotive after being struck by an object just isn’t at all times correct and that traumatic occasions can warp one’s reminiscence. No cellphone knowledge was collected to find out how briskly the victims’ automobiles have been touring once they have been struck.
The protection identified different gaps within the investigation, together with lacking details about the trajectory of the rocks and who threw the rock that struck Bartell or the six different automobiles April 19.
There have been conflicting tales about who threw the rock that killed Bartel, the testimony confirmed. Karol-Chik mentioned Kwak threw it. Kwak mentioned Koenig threw it. Other than Bartell’s, no different DNA was discovered on the rock that plunged by her windshield, killing her.
The boys have been arrested of their houses a number of days later after police reviewed cellphone knowledge and spoke to a pal who had been hanging out with them earlier that day.
The pal informed police that Koenig appreciated to “trigger chaos” and vandalize property. He mentioned he requested to be pushed dwelling after he noticed the three males gathering landscaping rocks from a Walmart parking zone and placing them into Karol-Chik’s truck as a result of he had a foul feeling, Manka mentioned.
Karol-Chik informed police he and Koenig had thrown rocks at automobiles a minimum of 10 occasions earlier than the April 19 rock-throwing spree, relationship again to February, Manka mentioned.
Between studying of Bartell’s dying and the day he was arrested, Kwak posted pictures on social media of him going to promenade and snowboarding, Manka mentioned.
“Even younger adults reminiscent of these three defendants have widespread sense. We don’t want trajectory evaluation or the precise weight of the rocks to know that (throwing) giant landscaping rocks, or in a single occasion a big statue head, at oncoming drivers at excessive charges of pace would clearly create a grave threat of dying,” Jefferson County Deputy District Legal professional Morgan Fox mentioned.
All three teenagers face trial on fees of first-degree homicide, tried first-degree homicide, second-degree assault and tried second-degree assault. Karol-Chik and Koenig additionally face tried first-degree homicide and tried second-degree assault for allegedly throwing a statue head at a shifting automotive April 1 in Arvada.
The boys are subsequent due in courtroom in December, at which era a decide could set an arraignment date.
