Three Colorado teens who are accused of killing a 20-year-old woman when they threw a rock at her car have been charged with first-degree murder.
Charges were filed Wednesday against 18-year-olds Nicholas "Mitch" Karol-Chik, Joseph Koenig and Zachary Kwak in connection with the incident, which occurred on April 19th in Denver.
The trio is accused of throwing landscaping rocks at passing vehicles, killing 20-year-old Alexis Bartell, injuring two others and damaging six cars, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
After his arrest, Karol-Chik reportedly told police that he and his accomplices had thrown rocks at vehicles on at least 10 other occasions, the Associated Press reported.
Karol-Chik also told investigators that the group took a photo of Bartell's car after it crashed into a field. When asked why, Kwak admitted that they wanted to have a "memento" of what happened, according to court documents obtained by the AP.
The documents also show the teens told detectives they got excited every time they hit a car, per the report. Karol-Chik added that he did feel "a hint of guilt" after seeing Bartell's vehicle.
Bartell was killed when a rock was thrown through her windshield as she was driving by the teens at about 10:45 p.m. on April 19. Police said her car was the last of a series of vehicles struck by large landscaping rocks -- which were about 4 to 6 inches and 3 to 5 pounds -- in a spree that began shortly after 10 p.m. that night.
Bartell was on her phone talking to a friend when the line went silent. The friend tracked her phone and drove to the location, where she found Bartell dead inside her car, which was off the roadway in a field.
The suspects are believed to have been throwing the rocks at cars coming in the opposite direction as them, but investigators are not sure who was driving and who threw the rock that killed Bartell.
Two other drivers sustained minor injuries due to the attacks, and at least six other vehicles were damaged.
In addition to first-degree murder, Karol-Chik, Koenig and Kwak are facing charges of attempted first-degree murder, second-degree assault and attempted second-degree assault.
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