A Jefferson County judge found there was probable cause to charge Joseph Koenig with four additional counts.
GOLDEN, Colo. — One of the three defendants accused of throwing rocks at cars in Jefferson County last year, killing 20-year-old Alexa Bartell, will face additional charges. On Tuesday, a 1st Judicial District Court judge found there was enough evidence to move those charges to trial.
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.
Investigators said Joseph Koenig was involved in throwing objects at two more drivers months before Bartell was killed in 2023.
A detective testified that one of Koenig’s co-defendants, Nicholas Karol-Chik, helped out prosecutors in January. Prosecutors relied on this interview with Karol-Chik to bring the additional charges because, according to testimony, cellphone data excluded Koenig from the two locations.
According to testimony, Karol-Chik told police that he and Koenig threw a rock or concrete at two moving cars one night in February 2023. Right now, only Koenig faces additional charges. It is unclear whether Karol-Chik will be charged, as well.
The lead detective testified on Tuesday that nothing was given to Karol-Chik in exchange for his interview in January.
Karol-Chik said he and Koenig threw a rock or concrete at the two vehicles in February 2023, according to the lead detective. One victim was driving with her husband. The other was in the car with his kids. The father told police one of his children who was under 18 years old was covered in broken glass after the rock hit his car.
Koenig’s attorney attempted to cast doubt on Karol-Chik’s credibility. He asked the detective about different answers Karol-Chik has given throughout the investigation.
Koenig faces the most charges out of the three defendants.
Each defendant is charged with first-degree murder for the death of Bartell and multiple counts of attempted murder. 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.
Karol-Chik is set to go to trial first in early June. Zachary Kwak’s trial is in late June. Koenig’s trial is on the calendar for late July into early August.
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