WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — The trial for the second man accused of murdering a former coal executive will start Monday at 8 a.m.
Brandon Fitzpatrick, of Louisa, Kentucky, has been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery and conspiracy in connection with the May 2016 death of Ben Hatfield.
Authorities said Fitzpatrick was with Anthony Arriaga, of Gibonsburg, Ohio, when Arriaga shot Hatfield at the Mountain View Memory Gardens cemetery in Maher. Hatfield was decorating his late wife’s grave at the time.
Fitzpatrick and Arriaga were allegedly trying to steal Hatfield’s upscale SUV and sell it for parts.
According to a recorded conversation between Fitzpatrick and police, Fitzpatrick moved in with Arriaga at the home of Arriaga’s mother days before the shooting. He also said he and Arriaga bought the gun believed to have been used in the shooting at a shop in Toledo, Ohio.
Arriaga was found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree robbery and two counts of conspiracy on Oct. 20. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 12.