West
Colorado teen pleads guilty to rock attack on car that killed female driver
A Colorado teen has pleaded guilty for his role in a deadly rock-throwing spree with his pals that killed a 20-year-old woman in Denver last year.
Zachary Kwak, 19, was one of three teens who threw landscaping rocks at several cars in April 2023 – with one rock smashing through the windshield window of a car being driven by Alexa Bartell.
Kwak, of Arvada, pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of first-degree assault, one count of second-degree assault and an added count of criminal attempt to commit assault, Fox 31 reports.
COLORADO TEENS ARRESTED IN ROCK-THROWING ATTACKS TOOK PHOTOS OF MURDERED WOMAN’S CAR AS ‘MOMENTO’: POLICE
Colorado teen Zachary Kwak, left, has pleaded guilty for his role in a deadly rock attack with his friends that resulted in the death of Alexa Bartell, right. (AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post, left, and JCSO, right)
He was previously charged with murder but pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal and will serve no less than 20 years but no more than 32 years. He will be sentenced on Sept. 3
Prosecutors say that Kwak, along Joseph Koenig and Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik, threw rocks at six cars and injured multiple drivers after 10 p.m. on April 19. They were all 18 at the time.
Earlier on April 19, they made plans to meet up and drove to Walmart together, where they picked up landscaping rocks from the edge of the store’s parking lot and loaded the rocks into Koenig’s pickup, according to an arrest affidavit previously obtained by Fox News Digital.
Throughout the rest of the night, the three suspects allegedly threw rocks at six different vehicles, including Bartell’s, killing the 20-year-old woman just before 11 p.m. as she was driving while talking on the phone with her friend. The investigator testified on Wednesday that the suspects were driving about 80 mph at the time.
Bartell’s friend told police that she was speaking with Bartell on the phone when she “abruptly stopped talking.” She was driving on the 10600 block of Indiana Street at the time, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO).
COLORADO TEENS ARRESTED FOR ROCK ATTACKS ON CARS THAT KILLED 20-YEAR-OLD
Kwak, pictured left, pleaded guilty for his role in the deadly rock attack which left a 20-year-old woman dead. Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik, center, and Joseph Koenig, right. (Jefferson County Sheriff)
After noticing that they had struck Bartell’s windshield, the three suspects turned back around and drove past the victim’s vehicle, which had swerved into a field, at about 50 mph to observe the damage. Kwak is accused of taking a photo of her vehicle as a “memento.”
Koenig allegedly declared the group “blood brothers” after realizing Bartell was dead, according to Karol-Chik’s interview with authorities.
Karol-Chik told investigators that Kwak became “excited” when he hit a vehicle with a rock. Kwak, meanwhile, told investigators that Karol-Chik would use “Marine” terminology, such as “contact left,” before hitting a vehicle to the left with a rock.
Bartell’s friend used a phone-finder app to track Bartell’s location and eventually found her stationary vehicle in a field off Indiana Street in Jefferson County and called police.
Investigators used cellphone data to identify the suspects, tying a common phone number that pinged at different crime scenes.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy also testified that, based on his interviews with the suspects, Kwak and Koenig were the only two suspects accused of throwing the rock that killed Bartell.
Investigators photographed a gaping hole directly in Bartell’s windshield, directly in front of the driver’s seat. (Jefferson County Sheriff)
After investigators interviewed Kwak, he allegedly insisted that he did not throw the rock that killed Bartell. When the detective who testified Wednesday told Kwak, “I hear you,” he responded: “I don’t need you to hear me. I need you to believe me. I did not throw that rock.”
Bartell’s family was in the courtroom on Friday to hear Kwak make his guilty plea. They could be seen wiping tears from their faces during the 15-minute proceedings, FOX 31 reports. They offered no comment while leaving the courthouse.
Kwak was dressed in a jail uniform, handcuffed. He answered the judge’s questions, saying he understood his plea and its implications.
Investigators previously said that the trio had been throwing rocks at moving vehicles for about two months before their actions allegedly resulted in a fatality.
Koenig and Karol-Chik’s cases are ongoing. All three were initially charged with murder in the first-degree with extreme indifference.
Read the full article from Here
California childcare providers struggle to stay alive
Hundreds of Bay Area child care providers closed their doors in 2020, as many parents worked from home and watched their children on their own. According to the Century Foundation, more than 70,000 childcare programs nationwide are projected to close. This is partly due to the expiration of the federal COVID-19 pandemic support program that kept many centers open.
SAN FRANCISCO – More San Francisco families will soon have access to free or discounted childcare thanks to an expansion of a city program announced Thursday by Mayor Daniel Lurie.
Who’s eligible for free or discounted childcare in San Francisco?
Dig deeper:
Under the mayor’s expansion of the city’s Family Opportunity Agenda, nearly 750 more children will have access to free or discounted care. To be eligible for free childcare, families must earn less than 150% of the city’s annual median income, $230,000. Families who earn under 200% of the median income – $310,000 – will receive a 50% subsidy for childcare.
The program expansion will offer more than 700 childcare spots, with a focus on infants and toddlers in the Sunset, Parkside, Richmond, Mission, Bayview, Portola, Mission Bay, Excelsior, Glen Park, and SoMa neighborhoods, the mayor’s office said.
“The new slots will expand the city’s early childhood system for infants and toddlers by more than 8%—broadening access to affordable, high-quality childcare for working families,” the city said, in part, in a statement Thursday.
What is San Francisco’s Family Opportunity Agenda?
Big picture view:
The mayor’s Family Opportunity Agenda was launched in January to make housing, childcare, education and more necessary resources affordable for San Francisco residents.
“When families have access to quality, affordable childcare, they can stay and build a life in San Francisco,” Lurie said. “For children, it supports their academic and emotional growth long before kindergarten. And for our entire city, it strengthens our future—helping families stay and keeping our communities strong.”
For more information on the city’s childcare program, click here.
How much does childcare cost?
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, full-time childcare for pre-school-age children can cost anywhere between $9,000 and $24,000 per year. For children under the age of two, the cost rises from $11,000 to $29,000, research shows.
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2024 shows California has the third-highest costs for childcare across the U.S., at an average $16,945 per year.
The Source: Office of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie
Kaden Davis is taking his talents to the United Football League.
The former Denver Broncos wide receiver signed with the UFL’s Houston Gamblers earlier this week, and he could make his debut as early as Friday evening when the Gamblers face the Columbus Aviators (5:00 p.m. MT on Fox and FuboTV).
Davis (6-1, 193 pounds) entered the league with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Northwest Missouri State in 2022. After spending part of his rookie season on Denver’s practice squad, Davis played for the Michigan Panthers (then of the USFL) in the spring of 2023.
After that, Davis spent time with the Arizona Cardinals (2023) and Detroit Lions (2024) before returning to the Broncos as a member of the practice squad in 2024. He was later cut, re-signed, and cut again by Denver that fall. Davis joined the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad late in the 2024 campaign, and he remained with the Browns in 2025. He’ll now look to impress in the UFL.
Elsewhere on the ex-Bronco front, the San Francisco 49ers signed running back Sincere McCormick, who had a brief stint on Denver’s practice squad last season.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
The Seattle Seahawks have an extensive history of taller cornerbacks on the roster, but not this tall.
The only reason why this is notable is because Broden was measured at just over 6’5 and weighed under 200 pounds. In addition to Broden’s height, he ran a reported 4.37 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. For context, Broden is taller than Richard Sherman (6’3), Riq Woolen (6’4), and Brandon Browner (6’4). Other reports of Broden’s height (including from Tyrone himself) have him up to 6’7. Unsurprisingly, Broden did not have any prior experience at corner during his college football days, and there’s nothing to indicate he had any cornerback work in high school.
At receiver, his chances of making the active roster are slim and none given the competition ahead of him, so why not have some fun experimentation? I’m not banking on it being much of anything, but I hope it continues into training camp so that fans can see this in person.
-
New York1 hour agoComputer Outage Disrupts Student Exams in New York State
-
Detroit, MI2 hours ago‘He went on an adventure’: Detroit bus driver, police praised for reuniting missing 9-year-old with family
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoSan Francisco’s free, discounted childcare program adds over 700 new spots
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoThis Miami food truck was just named Florida’s top independent restaurant
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoPolice Blotter: Sticky fingers: Boston cops looking for South End candy store robber
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoEx-Broncos wide receiver lands in UFL; ex-Denver RB joins 49ers
-
Seattle, WA3 hours agoSeahawks receiver makes surprise switch to cornerback
-
San Diego, CA3 hours agoThe Saddest Restaurant Closures in San Diego, Spring 2026