Three teenagers were charged with murder after allegedly tossing landscaping rocks at several Colorado drivers in a disturbing spree that left one motorist dead, according to authorities.
Victim Alexa Bartell, 20, was behind the wheel last Wednesday night while talking to a friend on the phone when she was fatally struck by a heavy rock that smashed through her windshield, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said.
Bartell’s vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a field.
She was found dead by her friend, who tracked her down using a phone app after the line went silent, authorities said.
Bartell was killed by the rock and not the crash, the sheriff’s office said.
On Wednesday, the sheriff’s office announced that three 18-year-old men were arrested and charged over Bartell’s death.
The trio, identified as Joseph Koenig, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak, are also suspected of carrying out several other similar rock attacks on drivers the same night that Bartell was killed, according to the sheriff’s office.
The string of attacks started just after 10 p.m. and at least seven vehicles were targets, with another two drivers suffering minor injuries.
All three teen suspects are accused of throwing the rocks during the twisted rampage, but it’s unclear who the driver was.
Each faces first-degree murder charges, and additional charges could be tacked on.
One of the drivers targeted by the rock-slinging said at a Tuesday news conference that “it sounded like a shotgun” when the stone hit the passenger side of his van, according to the Denver Post.
Driver Nathan Tipton also expressed his anger over the death of Bartell.
“It took somebody’s life,” Tipton said.
“It’s a sad thing. It’s horrible, no one should lose their child in such a random act.
“I hope Alexa and her family can get some type of justice.”
With Post wires
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