Information for this story was provided by the Williamson Daily News
WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Mingo County Prosecutor Duke Jewell told a 12-member jury Monday Brandon Fitzpatrick is just as guilty in the murder of coal executive Ben Hatfield as Anthony Arraiga.
Fitzpatrick, 20, of Louisa, Kentucky, is on trial for first-degree murder, first degree robbery and two counts of conspiracy. He allegedly helped Arriaga 22, of Delphos, Ohio, kill Hatfield in a 2016 robbery attempt at Memory Garden Cemetery in Maher. Hatfield was there at the graves of family members when the pair allegedly spotted his SUV and decided to steal it.
“It takes two to commit this awful crime,” Jewell said in his opening statement as reported by Williamson Daily News reporter Travis Crum who was in the courtroom Monday.
Arriaga was convicted in October. He testified during that trial that it was Fitzpatrick who shot Hatfield but Jewell said it was Arriaga while Fitzpatrick yelled, “do it!”
According to Crum’s report Monday, Fitzpatrick’s attorney, Susan Van Zant, told jurors that Arriaga is the sole person to blame in the murder and not Fitzpatrick.
“It does not take two people to pull a trigger,” she said.
Testimony is expected to continue Tuesday in Mingo County Circuit Court in Williamson with Jewell calling prosecution witnesses to the stand.
Arriaga is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 12.