Second co-defendant in Colorado rock-throwing case takes the stand

On Friday one of the men charged in a deadly rock-throwing spree in Colorado two years ago testified against one of his co-defendants. Last year Nicholas Karol-Chik reached a plea deal in exchange for his testimony against Joseph Koenig. Koenig is on trial for first-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Alexa Bartell.

Prosecutors, Karol-Chik and the third suspect -- Zachary Kwak, who also reached a plea deal -- say Koenig is the one who threw the large landscaping-type of rock that killed Bartell on April 19, 2023.

Almost immediately after taking the stand, Karol-Chik was asked point blank who threw the rock that killed the woman.

"Joe Koenig," he responded.

Karol-Chik said that before targeting the car that belonged to Bartell, he and co-defendants decided it would be the last rock thrown that night from their truck.

"At that point, his window had already been rolled down so when the vehicle got close to us, he threw it out of his side of the vehicle," Karol-Chik explained.

Karol-Chik testified that after they hit Bartell's car with the rock, they saw her car go off the road and into a field. He sobbed as he detailed Koenig then turning the truck around to drive back by Bartell's car looking for damage and only seeing tail lights in the dark.

"The first time you passed her again, did you stop so you could check on her?" the prosecution asked

"No," Karol-Chik responded.

"The second time you passed her as she was off the road, did you stop so you could check on her?" the prosecution asked.

"No," he said.

"Given that you testified you though she was seriously injured, did anyone call 911?

"No," Karol-Chik added.

Karol-Chik was then asked to describe Koenig's reaction to the damage they had caused.

"It's hard to tell. He was... um... excited," Karol-Chik said.

The defense focused their line of questioning on the deal Karol-Chik took in exchange for his testimony.

"You were arrested near the end of April 2023. By December of 2023, you were desperate to get a deal in this case?" Koenig's attorneys asked.

"I don't know if desperate was the right word to use," Karol-Chik responded.

The defense then pointed to multiple interviews over the last two years where Karol-Chik told investigators that Kwak had thrown the last rock of the night and pushed him on why he suddenly changed his story, pointing the finger at Koenig last April.

"You saw the prosecution lay out their evidence in the case and it scared you to go to trial, it scared you the consequences you would face if you went to trial," the defense said.

The prosecution rebutted those claims, asking Karol-Chik if there was any deal on the table when he revealed Koenig had thrown the rock, with him saying there was not.

The defense will begin calling their witnesses when the trial resumes on Tuesday.