WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Mingo County Sheriff James Smith described the murder of Ben Hatfield as a random act of violence. Smith detailed what investigators believe happened in Hatfield’s final hours last Sunday soon after Anthony Arriaga appeared for his initial court appearance in Mingo County Circuit Court.
Smith confirmed Arriaga, 20, of Delphos,OH and Brandon Fitzpatrick, 20, of Louisa, KY and Fort Gay, W.Va. were together and were on a mission to rob somebody. They noticed Hatfield’s GMC Denali parked at the Williamson area cemetery where the former coal executive was decorating the graves of his late wife and in-laws.
Arriaga and Fitzpatrick reasoned they might be able to get a lot of money for the nice vehicle and decided to steal it. According to Smith, Arriaga approached Hatfield from behind while Fitzpatrick waited in the car a the top of the hill.
The sheriff said Arriaga then shot at Hatfield twice, hitting him once in the back. Hatfield, according to investigators, fled the area wounded and ran over the hill at the edge of the cemetery. His body was found there Monday after concerned relatives reported him missing and authorities tracked his cell phone to the location. Sheriff Smith was unsure how long Hatfield had laid there before he died.
Arriaga followed Hatfield over the hill, presumably to get the keys to the SUV, but after observing what he had done apparently panicked. Fitzpatrick by that time had fled the area and left Arriaga at the scene. Arriaga shed his wet clothes along the river bank and according to State Police went to a nearby home where he caught a ride to the Rite-Aid in Wayne. He walked to the home of Ricky Peterson who was a junior high classmate. Fitzpatrick picked up Arriaga at Peterson’s home and Monday the two traveled to Arriaga’s home in Delphos, OH. Authorities were able to track Arriaga down through his cell phone at the Ohio location. Local authorities arrested him about 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Back at the crime scene, State Police bomb sniffing dogs located a gun in a brush pile near the graveyard which is believed to be the murder weapon. State Police say none of Hatfield’s personal effects were taken.
Peterson is in custody charged as an accessory after the fact and providing false information. Investigators say he initially lied to police when he was questioned, but later recanted his claims. He’s lodged in the Western Regional Jail and in a jailhouse interview with WSAZ denied the charges against him.
Fitzpatrick is also facing a murder charge. He was arrested on unrelated drug charges after he was pulled over in Elsmere, Kentucky Wednesday. He’s expected to be returned to West Virginia soon to face the charges in Hatfield’s death.