A third suspect is set for trial in June related to the April 2023 death of 20-year-old Alexa Bartell.
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo — A second teen charged in the death of a 20-year-old woman who was killed when a rock was thrown into her vehicle as she drove near the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge last year pleaded guilty to three counts Wednesday morning and faces a maximum of 72 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Nicholas Carol-Chik appeared in Jefferson County District Court where he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and a crime of violence sentence enhancer. His bond was revoked and all other counts were dismissed.
For the second-degree murder charges he faces a sentence ranging from 35 and 48 years behind bars under the plea agreement. On the attempted murder charge he faces between eight and 24 years. It’s up to the judge at sentencing to decide whether the time will be served consecutively or concurrently. If they’re ordered to be served consecutively Karol-chik could be sentenced to a maximum of 72 years.
He along with Joseph Koenig and Zachary Kwak were each initially charged with first-degree murder for the death of Alexa Bartell and multiple counts of attempted murder.
Bartell was killed as she drove on Indiana Street near Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge on April 19, 2023. At the time, she was on the phone with a friend, and the line went silent. Her friend tracked down her phone and drove to the location to find Bartell dead inside her car, which was off the roadway in a field.
The attempted murder charges are related to other incidents that occurred the same night Bartell was killed. Six other drivers, whose cars were hit the night Bartell died, survived.
One man reported that he saw at least two people in another vehicle before he saw a rock “come from the middle of that vehicle” and through his windshield. It hit the man in the shoulder and landed in his front seat, an arrest affidavit from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says. The man reported that he believed the rock might have come from a sunroof area and described it being tossed in an “overhand throwing motion.”
Karol-chik is set to be sentenced on Sept. 10 at 1 p.m.
Last week, Zachary Kwak, 19, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and attempted second-degree assault. Thirteen counts were dismissed and Kwak’s bond was revoked. He’s set to be sentenced in September and as part of his plea agreement, he faces between 20 and 32 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
The third suspect, Koenig, who is charged in connection with additional incidents, is set for trial in June.
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