The Latest: Police: 2 men wanted to steal, sell exec's SUV

The Latest: Police: 2 men wanted to steal, sell exec's SUV


2 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

WILLIAMSON, W.Va. (AP) — The Latest on the fatal shooting of ex-coal chief executive Bennett Hatfield in southern West Virginia (all times local):

4:35 p.m.

Police say two men charged in the killing of former coal executive Bennett Hatfield wanted to steal his vehicle and sell it.

Mingo County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Joe Smith says investigators believe 20-year-old Anthony Arriaga and 18-year-old Brandon Lee Fitzpatrick hoped to get $10,000 to $15,000 by selling Hatfield's SUV to a chop shop.

Mingo County Prosecutor Teresa Maynard says Arriaga allegedly shot Hatfield while Fitzpatrick, who intended to steal Hatfield's vehicle, fled instead.

Authorities say Hatfield was visiting his wife's gravesite at the Mountain View Memory Gardens in southern West Virginia when he was killed. His body was found at the cemetery Monday. His SUV was found nearby.

Fitzpatrick was later arrested in Kentucky and Arriaga was arrested in Ohio. Both are charged with first-degree murder.

___

4 p.m.

Police say a woman whose son is accused of killing former coal executive Bennett K. Hatfield was stopped in a car with a second murder suspect.

Elsmore, Kentucky, Police Chief Timothy Thames says 43-year-old Angela Marcum of Delphos, Ohio, was charged Wednesday with trafficking and possession of a controlled substance, having an expired driver's license and making a false report.

Thames says police stopped a vehicle carrying Marcum and Brandon Lee Fitzpatrick, and methamphetamine was confiscated.

Fitzpatrick and Anthony Arriaga face murder charges in Hatfield's shooting at a Mingo County cemetery.

Mingo County Sheriff's Deputy Joe Smith says Marcum is Arriaga's mother and was present at her son's arrest Tuesday in Allen County, Ohio.

___

11:30 a.m.

A prosecutor says two suspects in the killing of former coal executive Bennett Hatfield were plotting to steal his vehicle.

Authorities say Hatfield was visiting his wife's gravesite at the Mountain View Memory Gardens in southern West Virginia when he was fatally shot. His body was found at the cemetery Monday. His SUV was found nearby.

Mingo County Prosecutor Teresa Maynard says 20-year-old Anthony Arriaga of Delphos, Ohio, and 18-year-old Brandon Lee Fitzpatrick of Louisa, Kentucky, wanted to hijack a car.

According to Maynard, the two saw Hatfield's vehicle and Fitzpatrick dropped off Arriaga. She says Fitzpatrick was going to get Hatfield's vehicle. But after Hatfield was shot, Fitzpatrick disappeared and left Hatfield's vehicle behind. Authorities believe Arriaga was the shooter.

Arriaga and Fitzpatrick are charged with first-degree murder. Fitzpatrick also is charged with conspiracy.

___

10:15 a.m.

A prosecutor says authorities believe a suspect in the fatal shooting of former coal executive Bennett Hatfield obtained the gun that was used from another co-defendant.

Mingo County Prosecutor Teresa Maynard says 20-year-old Anthony Arriaga of Delphos, Ohio, was given the gun by 18-year-old Brandon Lee Fitzpatrick of Louisa, Kentucky. Maynard says investigators believe the two were plotting to steal a vehicle.

Arriaga was arraigned on a first-degree murder charge Thursday in Monday's shooting of Hatfield. Fitzpatrick is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Maynard says Arriaga has no connections to southern West Virginia but came to the area because he was childhood friends with another co-defendant, 20-year-old Ricky Peterson of Wayne.

Maynard says it was through Peterson's friendship that Arriaga met Fitzpatrick.

___

9:45 a.m.

An Ohio man has been arraigned in the fatal shooting of former coal executive Bennett Hatfield in southern West Virginia.

Twenty-year-old Anthony R. Arriaga of Delphos, Ohio, appeared Thursday on a first-degree murder charge in Mingo County Circuit Court in Williamson.

He was ordered held without bond pending a preliminary hearing June 3.

The body of the 59-year-old Hatfield was found Monday at the Mountain View Memory Gardens cemetery in nearby Maher where his wife is buried.

Arriaga was arrested Tuesday in Allen County, Ohio, before being returned to West Virginia.

Hatfield resigned last year as president and CEO of Patriot Coal. He was International Coal Group's CEO when a 2006 explosion at the Sago Mine in northern West Virginia killed 12 miners.

Authorities say they have not determined a motive.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Photos

Most recent U.S. stories

Related topics

U.S.
The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast