JEFFERSON COUNTY, CO — One of the three young men involved in the deadly 2023 rock-throwing incident that killed 20-year-old Alexa Bartell has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and other charges as part of a deal with prosecutors.
Nicholas Karol-Chik, 20, stood before a judge on Thursday, May 1, 2025, to receive his sentence, which stems from his role in the April 19, 2023 killing of Bartell, who died when a 9-pound rock was hurled through the window of her car while she was driving near Westminster, Colorado.
A Deadly Prank Turns Criminal
According to prosecutors, Karol-Chik, along with Joseph Koenig and Zachary Kwak, were engaging in what they called a night of “fun” and “destruction”, throwing large rocks at moving vehicles. The night ended with the death of an innocent woman, who was talking to a friend on the phone moments before she was struck and killed.
Karol-Chik admitted to providing the fatal rock and was in the car when Koenig threw it, according to court records and his testimony during Koenig’s trial.
“I will forever have to live with the fact that my desire to impress people that I thought were friends caused this tragedy,” Karol-Chik said during his sentencing hearing.
He also addressed Bartell’s grieving family directly:
“I hope that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive.”
Sentence Details
Under the plea agreement with the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Karol-Chik received:
- 45 years for second-degree murder (with a crime of violence enhancement)
- 24 years for attempted murder
Both sentences will run concurrently, meaning he will serve 45 years total, followed by:
- 5 years of parole on the murder charge
- 3 years of parole on the attempted murder charge
Prosecutors acknowledged that the plea deal helped secure testimony against Koenig, the man who physically threw the rock. Karol-Chik testified twice during Koenig’s trial, fulfilling the terms of his agreement.
Victim’s Family and Prosecutors React
During the emotional court hearing, Alexa Bartell’s mother asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence of 72 years, emphasizing the cruelty of the crime:
“These three spent the evening laughing, hunting, and looking for destruction.”
Deputy District Attorney Brynn Chase told the court that while Karol-Chik avoided a first-degree murder conviction, the sentence still reflects the severity of the crime:
“There’s just no way to atone for what the three of them did but for a substantial sentence.”
The Other Defendants
- Joseph Koenig, who threw the rock, was found guilty of first-degree murder with extreme indifference. He has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
- Zachary Kwak, the third accomplice, was the first to take a plea deal and is still awaiting sentencing.
Court documents reveal that after the rock struck Bartell’s car, the trio returned to the crash site, took photos, and left without checking if she was alive.