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July 1, 2025 15 mins
A single rock, hurled from a passing car, turned an ordinary drive home into a fatal ambush. Nineteen-year-old Alexa Bartell was on the phone with a friend when it happened — the last words anyone would hear from her. What started as a reckless thrill for three teenagers ended in an unthinkable tragedy that shattered a family and shocked the entire community.

In this episode of Murder U, we trace the devastating final moments of Alexa’s life and the chaotic hours that followed as investigators raced to piece together what happened. From scattered debris on a Colorado highway to a growing list of similar attacks, detectives soon realized this wasn’t an isolated act of violence. It was part of a disturbing spree.

We’ll explore the suspects’ twisted motivations, the public outrage that fueled the manhunt, and the courtroom moments that finally brought some measure of justice. Along the way, we examine how a choice made in a matter of seconds can destroy lives forever. 

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Abnormia. Hey, what's up everyone. I'm your host Mattie and
this is murder You. Thanks for listening last week and
for checking out the new murder You YouTube channel if
you haven't yet smashed that follow and subscribe button and
share the show with your friends. It's the best way
to help us reach even more true crime fans. Each week,
the cases get darker, the truth's more unsettling. A senseless

(00:25):
rock throwing incident results in fatality. Alexa Bartel's Final Drive.
Welcome to Murder You, an Abnormia original. A twenty year

(00:55):
old woman driving home on a quiet Colorado night, A
rocks mashes through her windshield. A life gone in an instant.
What began as a knight of reckless mischief for three
Denver area teenes turned into a fatal act that shocked
a community and led to a gripping courtroom battle. This

(01:17):
is the story of Alexa Bartel, who was killed by
a senseless act. But what was the motive behind her
death and would anyone be held accountable? A senseless rock
throwing incident has fatal consequences. Alexa Bartel's Final Drive. On
April nineteen, twenty twenty three, Alexa Bartel was driving through

(01:39):
Jefferson County, Colorado, when a large landscaping rock was hurled
through her windshield, striking her in the head and killing
her instantly. The rock throwing incident was part of a
series of similar attacks that night where multiple vehicles were targeted.
Alexa's car veered off the road and into a field.
Her body was discovered by her girlfriend, who tracked her

(02:01):
phone after their call abruptly ended. When first responders arrived
at the scene, they discovered Alexa had sustained devastating injuries,
but it wasn't apparent what had killed her. After learning
there had been a series of rock throwing incidents that night,
investigators discovered a rock near the scene that tested positive

(02:22):
for presumptive blood. There were few leads until authorities received
a tip that focused the investigation on three eighteen year
old men, Joseph Kunig, Nicholas Mitch, Carol Chick, and Zachary Quack.
The trio had been driving around throwing rocks at passing cars,
culminating in the fatal attack on Alexa. As the case unfolded,

(02:47):
it became clear that this was not a simple act
of vandalism gone wrong, but a deliberate and deadly assault
that would lead to serious legal consequences for those involved.
Alexa Bartel was twenty years old, vibrant and full of plans.
She lived with her family in Arvada, Colorado, a close
knit suburb northwest of Denver, and worked in marketing, just

(03:09):
starting to build a life for herself. Friends described her
as funny, kind, a little sarcastic, and fiercely loyal to
those she loved. She was someone who checked in, someone
who answered texts within seconds, the kind of person who
always ensured you got home safely. April nineteenth, twenty twenty three,

(03:30):
was a typical Wednesday night. Around ten forty five pm.
Alexa was driving northbound on Indiana Street, a dark two
lane road that cuts through open fields and quiet subdivisions.
She was talking on the phone to her friend Jenna Griggs,
just chatting about her day, when suddenly the line went silent.

(03:51):
Jenna thought Alexa had hung up on her, or the
call had dropped. Maybe Alexa's phone battery died, but Jenna
got worried when she couldn't reach her after calling repeatedly.
She looked for Alexa's location on Find my iPhone and
saw her phone had stopped moving, she drove out to
where the map said Alexa had been. It didn't take

(04:11):
long to find her. Alexa's yellow Chevy Spark was off
the side of the road, sitting silently in a field.
The driver's side window was shattered, the windshield was destroyed,
and Alexa was slumped in her seat lifeless. Police would
later determine that a landscaping rock approximately four to six

(04:32):
inches in diameter and weighing several pounds, had been hurled
through her windshield with enough force to strike her directly
in the head. It killed her instantly. At first, the
scene looked like a tragic freak accident, maybe something fell
off a truck, perhaps a stray boulder from nearby construction. However,

(04:54):
as investigators examined the damage and started getting calls about
other vehicles hit by rocks that night, a darker possibility emerged.
This wasn't an accident. Someone had thrown that rock deliberately,
and Alexa wasn't the only target. In the hours surrounding
her death, police received a string of nine one one

(05:15):
calls from drivers along the same stretch of road, reports
of rocks smashing windshields, denting doors, and cracking side windows.
One driver had glass shattered into her lap, Another swerved
off the road, narrowly missing a telephone pole. Seven cars
were hit in total. The pattern was clear. This wasn't

(05:37):
random debris. Someone was driving around Jefferson County hunting, picking
random cars, throwing heavy rocks at them at full speed
without regard for what might happen if someone were struck.
Detectives canvassed the area, pulled surveillance footage from nearby businesses,

(05:57):
and began piecing together the timeline. Witnesses reported seeing a
light colored pickup truck near the scenes where vehicles were
struck by rocks. A tipster called in describing teenagers acting
suspiciously in the area around the time Alexa was killed.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on three names, Joseph Kunig,

(06:18):
Nicholas Carrol Chick, and Zachary Quack. All three were eighteen
years old and high school seniors at different schools in
the area, and all three were linked to a white
pickup truck that matched the witness descriptions. On April twenty sixth,
just a week after Alexa's death, authorities arrested the trio.

(06:38):
The charges were staggering, first degree murder, extreme indifference to
human life, attempted murder for each of the other drivers
they had attacked that night. Inside the truck, investigators found
landscaping rocks matching the size and weight of the one
that killed Alexa. At first, it wasn't clear who had
thrown the fatal rock. Each of the teens began pointing

(07:01):
fingers at each other. Each offered slightly different versions of
what happened, but they agreed on one thing. They thought
it was funny. In police interviews, Zachary Quack admitted that
they had been laughing after hitting cars with rocks earlier
in the night. He said Joseph Kinneig encouraged them, revving
the engine and cheering. Carol Chick admitted he stayed silent

(07:25):
after the first hits, but didn't stop them. No one
called the police, No one checked to see if the
drivers were okay. They just kept driving, looking for more targets.
By the time Alexa's car was struck, it wasn't a
game anymore. It was deadly and the fallout was just beginning.
As investigators dug deeper, the portrait of that night and

(07:47):
of the three teens responsible grew even darker. This wasn't
a one time impulse. It was premeditated recklessness and blatant
disregard for human life. The boys had stolen landscaping rocks
from a wal Mart construction site earlier in the evening,
Loading them into the back of Kunig's white pickup, they
cruised through suburban streets and rural roads, laughing as they

(08:11):
hurled rocks at passing vehicles. Some rocks simply dented metal,
others cracked glass, and with every hit, their excitement grew.
Carol Chick later told investigators that after Alexis car was struck,
Quack said he felt a sense of power from throwing
the rock and hearing the crash. Kinnick allegedly texted a

(08:31):
friend about the Knight's events afterward, showing no remorse. Investigators
also uncovered online conversations where at least one of the
teens joked about the attacks. It wasn't an accident, it
wasn't a prank gone wrong. It was calculated cruelty, with
zero remorse afterward. In court documents, prosecutors described the teen's

(08:53):
behavior as a series of intentional acts showing extreme indifference
to human life. They weren't just hurling rocks into empty
fields or abandoned lots. They targeted moving vehicles, occupied cars,
and families heading home for the night, and Alexa Bartel
had paid the ultimate price. The Bartel family, devastated by

(09:20):
their loss, avoided the spotlight in the weeks following the arrests,
yet their heartbreak rippled across Colorado. Community members held candlelight
vigils in honor of Alexa. Flowers piled up at the
crash site. Friends shared memories of a young woman who
loved animals, enjoyed laughter, and had her whole life ahead

(09:41):
of her. As the trial approached, prosecutors prepared to pursue
the harshest charges possible. However, two defendants, Nicholas Mitch, Carol
Chick and Zachary Quack, opted to take plea deals. Nicholas
Mitch Carol Chick played a significant role in in the
events leading to Alexa Bartel's death. He pleaded guilty to

(10:04):
second degree murder an attempted first degree murder. Carol Chick
admitted to throwing rocks at vehicles on the night of
April nineteen, twenty twenty three. He agreed to testify against
Joseph Kunig. As part of his plea agreement, Zachary Quack
pleaded guilty to first degree assault, second degree assault, an

(10:25):
attempted second degree assault. He denied throwing any rocks on
the night of Alexa's death, He admitted to participating in
the events by helping collect rocks and being present during
the attacks that left Joseph Kunig as the only defendant
to stand trial. In April twenty twenty five, he faced
a Jefferson County jury on a charge of first degree

(10:47):
murder with extreme indifference. Over several days of testimony, prosecutors
laid out the evidence, cell phone data that placed the
teens at each attack site, text messages exchanged during the spree,
and eye witness accounts that described Koenig's behavior after Alex's death.
Carol Chick and Quak both took the stand, telling the

(11:09):
jury that Koenig was the one who threw the nine
pound landscaping rock that shattered Alexa Bartel's windshield and struck
her in the head. The defense argued that the teens
hadn't meant to kill anyone, that it was a reckless act,
not a premeditated one, but the jury disagreed. On April
twenty fifth, twenty twenty five, Koenig was found guilty of

(11:32):
first degree murder. He now faces a mandatory life sentence
without the possibility of parole. Alexa's mother, Kelly Bartel, said
justice had been done, still she had mixed feelings, even
expressing sympathy for Kunig and the other perpetrators. It's hard
to be happy or feel satisfied that justice was served

(11:53):
today because I feel one amazing life was lost and
three others are also lost and impacted, she said. Just
days later, sentencing hearings were held for the other two teens.
Carol Chick received forty five years in prison, Quak was
sentenced to thirty two, though both avoided life sentences. The

(12:14):
court clarified that their cooperation didn't erase what they had done. Ultimately,
it doesn't matter who through the final rock. They all
participated and encouraged each other, and Alexa paid with her life.
Alexa Bartel's death wasn't just a tragedy for her family.
It sent shockwaves throughout the country, even becoming a global story.

(12:36):
People struggled to comprehend how something so random and senseless
could happen. You're driving home like you've done a hundred
times before, and suddenly a rock crashes through your windshield
and you're gone forever. Alexa's family released a statement after
Quack's conviction, thanking prosecutors, law enforcement, and the broader community

(12:59):
for standing by them. They described Alexa as a vibrant, funny,
compassionate young woman who had so much more to give
and whose absence left an aching hole that can't be filled.
Alexa Bartell's death reignited national conversations about the fine line
between reckless behavior and deadly violence. Law enforcement officials and

(13:22):
prosecutors emphasized that this wasn't a harmless prank, it was
a violent act with devastating consequences. Community leaders pointed to
the case as a warning about desensitization to violence among
teens and the rising trend of thrill seeking behavior that
escalates into criminal acts. The Bartel family has chosen to

(13:44):
grieve in private, as you would expect. Still, Alexa's name
continues to resonate in public safety efforts and community discussions
about accountability. Alexa Bartel wasn't a statistic or a clickworthy headline.
She was a twenty years old woman driving home on
a spring night, talking to her best friend and thinking

(14:04):
about her future, and in seconds, that future was taken
from her by a callous act with irreversible consequences. Prosecutors
have made clear that the severe charges in this case,
including first degree murder, are intended to send a message
that group violence, even from teenagers, will not be treated lightly.

(14:27):
In the aftermath, families who have lost loved ones to
similarly senseless crimes came forward, offering support and solidarity. Many
recognized the particular horror of Alex's death. It was an
attack without provocation, carried out by people who, in that moment,
were detached and devoid of empathy. Alexa Bartel's story reminds

(14:49):
us that sometimes the most devastating crimes aren't premeditated plots
or carefully orchestrated attacks. Sometimes it's a split second decision,
a reckless threat, and a cruel disregard for human life
disguised as a joke, along with the terrible consequences that
result from these actions. Thank you for joining me, and remember,

(15:11):
if you have information or concerns about potential school related crimes,
contact the Crime Stoppers Safe School Hotline to make a secure,
anonymous tip at eight two two one one one one
or one eight seven seventy nine zero three Stop. It
could save lives.
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