Joseph Koenig: Boy, 18, accused of killing Alexa Bartell in rock-throwing spree had a past of 'destructive behavior'
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO: One among the three teenagers who were arrested in the murder of a young Colorado woman in a deadly rock-throwing spree had a disturbing past of "destructive behavior." Joseph Koenig was charged along with Zachary Kwak and Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik in the horrifying incident that killed Alexa Bartell, 20.
Even before the fatal incident took place, Koenig who is a high school senior was known as someone who kept "causing chaos" and his "destructive behavior," said their friend Joseph Bopp, according to New York Post.
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When the suspects loaded the landscaping rocks into a pickup truck owned by Karol-Chik, their friend Bopp was along with them, all of whom are 18 years old. Bopp then felt uncomfortable and asked them to drop him home before they went on throwing the rock that struck Bartell's car windshield while she was driving on April 19.
A neighbor of Koenig who did not want to disclose her identity said that the suspect's arrest "wasn't a shock." She further added saying, "There had been discussion and concerns in the neighborhood for actions he had taken in his past." The neighbor said that Bartell's tragic death left her heartbroken. "As a mom, to hear somebody’s child that is catastrophically and unexpectedly injured and taken so abruptly, and then having it linked to your neighborhood, in your school — it’s heartbreaking," the neighbor said.
Suspects clicked images of Bartell's car destroyed after they threw the rock as a 'memento'
One of the suspects Karol-Chik told the investigators that in February, he and Kwak threw statues and rocks at drivers, and on the night of Bartell's death, Kwak threw the deadly rock at the 20-year-old woman's windshield while she was driving and was reportedly on a call with her friend at the time. However, Kwak maintained that it was Koenig who tossed the rock. According to CBS News Colorado, Koenig has refused to talk to the police.
The three teenagers accused of killing Bartell doubled back and captured an image of her destroyed vehicle as a "memento." Mark Edwin Koenig, father of Joseph was arrested and charged after he obstructed officers during their attempt to talk to his son. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the trio will be facing additional charges in connection to Bartell's death which may include assault or attempted murder.