According to prosecutors, one of the three teenagers accused of throwing large rocks at passing cars in Colorado and killing a 20-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to reduced charges as part of a plea agreement.
Both Karol-Chik and Koenig have entered pleas of not guilty.
Kwak pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him, including second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. As part of the plea agreement, the prosecution dropped more severe charges, such as first-degree murder. Kwak is now facing a prison sentence ranging from 20 to 32 years. However, his sentencing will not take place until September 3, as Karol-Chik and Koenig are set to be tried separately.
Karol-Chik’s attorney, Holly Gummerson, chose not to provide any comment regarding the plea deal or the accusations against her client. Attorneys representing Koenig did not respond to phone calls or emails seeking comment.
According to prosecutors, Karol-Chik, along with the other two individuals, drove around in his pickup truck on the night Bartell was killed. They allegedly loaded the truck with landscaping rocks that they had taken from a Walmart.
Several days after Bartell was hit while driving northwest of Denver and talking on the phone with a friend, the men were arrested. Bartell’s friend had noticed that the call had gone silent and used a phone app to track Bartell’s location. It was then discovered that the suburban Denver woman had died in her car, which had crashed into a field.
According to investigators, Bartell’s cause of death was determined to be the result of the impact from the rock, rather than the crash itself.
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