A Colorado teenager involved in a tragic incident has pleaded guilty after a rock-throwing spree resulted in the death of a young woman.
A 19-year-old named Zachary Kwak has admitted his guilt in a tragic incident from last year. He pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and attempted assault, as reported by KDVR.
The sentence handed down ranges from a minimum of 20 years to a maximum of 32 years. As part of the plea bargain, his previous charges, including murder, were dropped.
Kwak and his friends In April 2023, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik and Joseph Koenig, both 18-year-old high school seniors, engaged in a multi-day spree of throwing rocks and other objects at cars in suburban Denver.
Late in the evening of April 19, Alexa Bartell, a resident of Arvada, was on her way home from work when an unexpected incident occurred. At approximately 10:45 p.m., a sizeable landscaping rock that Alexa had recently purchased from a nearby Walmart unexpectedly crashed through her windscreen, causing her harm, according to authorities.
According to officials, Bartell was on the phone with a friend when the call abruptly ended. Later, her body was discovered in the wreckage of her car, which had come to a stop in a field.
Authorities stated that the group revisited the location of their actions later that evening and took disturbing photographs of Bartell’s damaged vehicle.
Three individuals have been apprehended and are facing charges of murder and several other offences in connection with the death of Bartell. Additionally, they are also accused of targeting and damaging five other vehicles. The other drivers sustained only minor injuries.
Karol-Chik informed the police that in February, he and Kwak engaged in the act of hurling rocks and statues at drivers, as reported by the outlet.
Additionally, it was claimed that Kwak was the one responsible for throwing the rock that struck Bartell’s windscreen, all while Koenig was driving on April 19. Kwak, on the other hand, maintained that Koenig was the one who threw the stone that caused the fatality.
Koenig’s father, Mark Edwin Koenig, was also taken into custody following the incident, as he was accused of obstructing the police during their investigation into his son.
Kwak is scheduled to be sentenced on September 3, following the completion of Karol-Chik and Koenig’s trials, as reported by KDVR.
Karol-Chik’s jury trial is set to take place on June 7. Koenig’s jury trial is set for July 19.
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