WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — The man who shot and killed longtime coal executive Ben Hatfield at a Mingo County grave site is scheduled to be sentenced for the crime.
Anthony Arriaga, 22, of Gibonsburg, Ohio, will be sentenced in Mingo County Circuit Court at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Arriaga was found guilty in October on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree robbery and two counts of conspiracy.
He faces life in prison with the chance of parole after 15 years.
Authorities said Arriaga shot Hatfield during a robbery attempt at the Memory Garden Cemetery in Maher. It happened in May 2016 while Hatfield was decorating his wife’s grave.
Hatfield was shot in the back.
Arriaga and co-defendant Brandon Fitzpatrick, 20, of Louisa, Kentucky, spotted Hatfield’s upscale SUV and decided to steal it.
Fitzpatrick was found guilty earlier this month of first-degree murder, but not guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. Fitzpatrick later decided to enter a plea in connection with the penalty phase of the trial.
Fitzpatrick is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 18. He also faces life in prison with mercy.