WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — A second defendant convicted in the 2016 murder of coal operator Ben Hatfield was sentenced Thursday to life in prison with the chance for parole in 15 years.
Brandon Fitzpatrick, 20, of Louisa, Kentucky, was convicted in December.
The jury found that he helped co-defendant Anthony Arriaga 22, of Delphos, Ohio, kill Hatfield during a robbery attempt at Memory Garden Cemetery in Maher. Hatfield was there at the graves of family members when the pair spotted his SUV and decided to steal it.
The jury found Fitzpatrick guilty of first-degree murder but not guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. His attorney raised a question about the validity of the verdict but Fitzpatrick later decided to enter a plea in connection with penalty phase of the trial.
Mingo County Circuit Court Judge Miki Thompson accepted the plea deal somewhat reluctantly Thursday.
“I’m not giving you mercy because you deserve it,” she said. “You didn’t show any mercy to Ben Hatfield.”
Thompson said Fitzpatrick hasn’t been forthcoming. He didn’t speak Thursday.
Mingo County Prosecutor Duke Jewell said Fitzpatrick told a parole officer he was innocent and felt “pressured” into accepting the plea by the prosecution team, according to a report in the Williamson Daily News.
Fitzpatrick filed motions Thursday for a new trial.
Williamson Daily News Reporter Travis Crum contributed to this report.