Alexa Bartell was simply driving home from work late one Wednesday night. Something almost everybody does every day.
She was especially happy that evening on April 19, 2023. The 20-year-old woman loved her family, she loved her job at a flooring company where she worked with her mom, and she loved her new girlfriend who she was going to see that night.
Life was going great – until three teenagers in another car hurled a heavy rock at her windshield that hit with the force of a cannon.
We’ve all had a piece of gravel ding our windshield, but a 9-pound landscaping rock, thrown at 104 mph into oncoming traffic hit Alexa with enough force to cause her skull to explode.
All because these young men were bored and wanted to entertain themselves. They were so excited when her car ran off the road they drove back and took a selfie with the vehicle, never once checking on the woman inside they had killed.
Afterall, this was the latest car in a series of rock throwing incidents, as many as 19, they are suspected to have caused and hurt several other people.
While everyone agreed the teens were to blame, there were different stories about who threw the rock that killed Alexa, until two of the young men, Zachary Kwak and Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik, agreed in a plea deal that it was Joseph Koenig.
The left-handed driver had shot-put the rock straight at Alexa’s windshield as they drove past, killing her instantly.
Find out what the jury thought about these adrenaline junkies in the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “Rock throwing Joseph Koenig and gang punished for high-speed murder of Alexa Bartell.”
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.