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3 highschoolers, all 18, who killed Alexa Bartell in rock-throwing spree took photo of shattered car window as 'a memento'

The teenagers charged with the murder of Alexa Bartell, 20, were identified as Joseph Koenig, Nicholas 'Mitch' Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak

JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO: A group of three high school seniors in Arvada, Colorado, caused the death of 20-year-old Alexa Bartell by throwing a rock through her car's windshield. The teens had already thrown multiple rocks at passing cars before the fatal incident occurred at 10.45 pm on April 19.

The teenagers responsible for the attack were identified as Joseph Koenig, Nicholas 'Mitch' Karol-Chik, and Zachary Kwak, all of whom are 18 years old. After the crash, the trio returned to the scene to take a picture of Bartell's vehicle. A sheriff's office arrest affidavit published on Thursday reveals that one of the boys told the others, "We have to go back and see" the aftermath of the fatal attack, after which Kwak took a picture of the victim's car as a form of "memento", as per Daily Mail.

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Teens charged with first-degree murder with extreme indifference

During their court appearance on Thursday, the three boys were charged with first-degree murder with extreme indifference, indicating their intent to kill without regard for the victim's identity. They were held without bond following their brief hearings, as the gruesome details of the crime were presented. Prosecutor Padraic Emerine said, "This was an extremely reckless and irresponsible situation that the defendant was involved in that, unfortunately, cost the life of a very innocent and very young woman in this case."

According to a friend of the three suspects, they were seen earlier that day collecting landscaping rocks from a Walmart parking lot and loading them onto a truck. The witness reported that they took "as many rocks as they could carry". He expressed concern that something bad might happen and asked them to take him home. The suspects then drove around the area, looking for passing cars to attack with the rocks they had collected.

Kwak said they would use "marine terms" when launching the rocks, adding, "Mitch would say things like, 'contact left', before Joseph would throw the rock at a car on the left side of theirs." He said the rock that hit Bartell's car made a very loud noise, similar to a rail gun. Karol-Chik admitted to the police that he said, "We have to go back and see that" after the fatal incident, while Kwak took a picture of the crash site as a "memento." A rock stained with blood was found next to Bartell's yellow Chevy Spark.

'Let them all rot in jail'

Social media users were quick to react to the news of the boys' arrest. One user wrote, "I imagine being parent to the young woman, I think max punishment. A parent to one of the young men? I fear for them. What’s an appropriate punishment that satisfies the victims family & still gives the perps a chance to learn from and atone? IDK, but hope it achieves both." Another user added, "I'm glad they're all over 18. Means there's no question they'll be charged as adults," while a third wished they would "rot in jail."

According to a report, Koenig's father, Mark, was also arrested but has since been bonded out. "We've also learned Mark Koenig the parent of one of these suspects was arrested last night as police attempted to take his son, Joseph, into custody. He was charged with obstructing a peace officer. He has since bonded out," read a tweet.

'This points to bad parenting'

Some people resorted to blaming the boys' parents for their "bad parenting." One user wrote, "I did some dumb stuff as a teenager, but never anything destructive or dangerous like this. This points to bad parenting," while another shared the sentiment, writing, "I wish they could charge their parents too." A third said, "It’s sad that we don’t have the Death Penalty anymore. I partially blame the parents, what a lousy job of child rearing but they will be getting a lot of 'rearing' in Prison. If you take a life, you forfeit yours," while a fourth added, "You can just see the hate and lack of empathy in their eyes. They were groomed to be this way."

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