WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — A Mingo County jury ruled 22-year-old Anthony Arriaga guilty in the shooting death of longtime coal executive Ben Hatfield.
Arriaga, of Gibsonburg, Ohio, was found guilty Friday on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree robbery and two counts of conspiracy.
According to authorities, Arriaga shot Hatfield in May 2016 while Hatfield was visiting the Memory Garden Cemetery in Maher. Arriaga and a co-conspirator, Brandon Fitzpatrick, 20, of Louisa, Kentucky, were planning to steal Hatifeld’s SUV.
Arriaga argued this week it was Fitzpatrick who pulled the trigger.
Fitzpatrick’s trial will begin in November.