JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The parents of Alexa Bartell came to the place where she died Friday to remember their daughter one year after she was killed.
"We're here today to remember Alexa, the amazing soul she was," her mother, Kelly Bartell, said while fighting back tears. "Her laughter was so contagious. She always had a smile, she made everybody smile and dance. She wanted everybody to dance."
Kelly remembered the last time she saw her daughter, on April 19, 2023.
"I love you. Have fun tonight. Make good choices. Text me when you get there," Kelly told Alexa before she left for a friend's house that night. She said she's thankful that she gave Alexa a big hug and told her she loved her before she left.
Kelly then read from a tattoo of Alexa's, a Bible verse that commands people to love their enemies.
"I believe the best way to honor Alexa's memory today is to be kind to others, spread lots of laughter and most of all, to love one another," she said.
Alexa's father, Greg Bartell, remembered the last time he hugged his daughter and told her he loved her while visiting from Florida.
"I had no idea I was hugging her for the last time, and told her I love her and 'I'll see you again, baby doll,'" he recalled.
Kelly handed out bags of soil and seeds and asked loved ones to scatter them on the ground to "spread Alexa's beauty," she said.
Alexa Bartell, 20, was killed when a rock was thrown through her windshield as she drove on Indiana Street near Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. She was 20 years old.
Three suspects were arrested six days later. They have all been charged with first-degree murder for Bartell's death, as well as multiple counts of attempted murder after numerous other drivers reported that their vehicles were struck by large rocks. Their trials are scheduled to take place this summer.
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