Three youngsters in Colorado are in courtroom proper now, accused of killing a 20-year-old lady by throwing a landscaping rock by means of her automotive windshield. Now, investigators are testifying that the trio had been throwing rocks at transferring autos for practically two months earlier than their actions allegedly resulted within the lady’s loss of life.

The three then-18-year-old suspects – Joseph Koening, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak – had been arrested in connection to the murder of Alexa Bartell, who died after a big rock crashed by means of her windshield and hit her on the pinnacle on April 19, in accordance with Fox Information. They had been handcuffed a short time later. In a preliminary listening to held on October 18, a decide dominated the kids must face trial.

The lead investigator within the case reportedly testified throughout the preliminary listening to that Karol-Chik advised him that the trio had thrown rocks at vehicles roughly 10 instances between February and April. Previous to the lethal incident, Koeing and Karol-Chik allegedly threw a landscaping “statue head” at a automobile carrying a pair and their youngsters again in April. They admitted to “throwing rocks not simply at targets however at folks driving,” investigators stated.

All three suspects have been charged with one rely of first-degree homicide, one rely of utmost indifference, six counts of tried first-degree homicide, three counts of second-degree assault and three counts of tried second-degree assault.

They went on fairly a rampage in mid-April, in accordance with Fox Information:

Between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. on April 19 and April 20, the suspects allegedly threw rocks at six completely different vehicles, injuring a number of drivers and killing Bartell. Earlier on April 19, they made plans to fulfill up and drove to Walmart collectively, the place they picked up landscaping rocks from the sting of the shop’s parking zone and loaded the rocks into Koenig’s pickup, in accordance with an arrest affidavit beforehand obtained by Fox Information Digital.

A fourth pal noticed the three suspects loading the rocks into their automobile and requested them to drive him residence earlier than they went on the alleged rampage, police stated. Koenig was driving the truck when the suspects left the parking zone, the affidavit states.

That witness later advised police that Koenig “continuously participates in damaging habits” as a result of he enjoys inflicting “chaos,” the affidavit states.

All through the remainder of the evening, the three suspects allegedly threw rocks at six completely different autos, together with Bartell’s, killing the 20-year-old lady simply earlier than 11 p.m. as she was driving whereas speaking on the cellphone together with her pal. The investigator testified on Wednesday that the suspects had been driving about 80 mph on the time.

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After noticing that they’d struck Bartell’s windshield, the three suspects turned again round and drove previous the sufferer’s automobile, which had swerved right into a subject, at about 50 mph to look at the harm. Kwak is accused of taking a photograph of her automobile as a “memento.”

Bartell was reportedly on the cellphone together with her pal, Jenna Griggs, at about 10:45 p.m. that evening when she all of a sudden stopped talking, in accordance with NBC Information. Griggs then used Discover My iPhone to find Bartell and her automotive. She had “sustained vital damage to her head and was not transferring,” in accordance with an affidavit. Griggs known as Bartell’s mom after which 911 earlier than a Broomfield, Colorado police officer arrived on the scene, discovered no pulse and described her “as chilly to the contact.”

Investigators reportedly discovered “organic matter” all through the automotive and a big “river rock’ landscaping rock” on the facet of the street stained with blood, in accordance with NBC Information.

After realizing Bartell was lifeless in her automotive, Koenig allegedly declared the group of teenagers “blood brothers.”