JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — It's a beautiful spot, filled with chirping birds and scenic views. But for the family of Alexa Bartell, every visit to Indiana Street, is a painful reminder of what was lost.
They don't hear the birds, they don't see the beautiful water or smell the green grass. All they can see is a lonely car stranded in the middle of a field, where Alexa was found dead.
The 20-year-old was tragically killed by a landscaping rock hurled through her windshield on the night of April 19, 2023. Alexa was driving on Indiana Street when prosecutors said a rock allegedly thrown by Joseph Koenig struck her car. Koenig is currently on trial for the deadly act.
His alleged co-conspirators, Zachary Kwak and Nicholas Karol-Chik, took plea deals.
Their decisions that night ended Alexa Bartell's life instantly and forever changed the lives of her loved ones.
“We don't like coming back here," Robyn Miller, Alexa's aunt, said. "We don't drive Indiana anymore. We do everything to avoid it.”
Although it's a painful site, each year since her passing, Alexa's family has returned to Indiana Street, not to relive the pain, but to celebrate the vibrant spirit she brought to the world. For the past two years, they've scattered seeds, hoping to grow wildflowers across the roadside where her life was taken.
“She was a colorful light,” her mother, Kelly Bartell, said in an exclusive interview with Denver7. “We want this horrific spot, to be beautiful. Maybe other people will be able to look and see its beauty too. That’s another piece of Alexa we can spread.”
To those who knew her, Alexa was more than just a victim of a random act of violence. She was a daughter, a niece, a friend — someone whose presence brought joy everywhere she went.
“She always had a smile on,” Kelly Bartell said. “She was always dancing, in Target, in Home Depot. I’d walk by and see her filming a TikTok and I’d just jump in and dance with her.”
Alexa would often film herself dancing for TikTok and she made a point of dragging everyone else into the show. Kelly said almost everybody in the family got looped in at some point. At last year's memorial, the entire family videoed themselves dancing, to recreate one of Alexa's more memorable TikToks.
The video of their dancing queen is one of many memories the family dearly holds on to, even in their grief. Those moments have inspired Kelly Bartell to remember her daughter for the 20 years of life she gave them, not the 20 minutes of tragedy.
“We don’t want to just remember what happened,” Kelly said through tears. “I want to remember the 20 years of laughter, kindness, and love. That’s what we hold onto.”
Alexa's compassionate heart, her deep loyalty, and her spontaneous joy live on in the stories her family shares: from insisting on holding the door open for strangers to encouraging her mom to help those in need.
“She was the most loving, loyal person,” Kelly said proudly. “She always wanted to give—buying lunch for others, helping the homeless. She was always thinking of others.”
While the past two years have been filled with sorrow and unanswered questions, the Bartell family’s message remains clear: They don’t want anyone else to endure the pain they’ve experienced.
“We pray this never happens to another family,” Kelly Bartell said. “We want her legacy to be one of kindness, of light, and of love.”
If given the chance, they know exactly what they would say to Alexa.
“I’d tell her again how proud I am,” Kelly said quietly. “How much I love her. How many lives she touched. She was amazing.”
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