On Tuesday, they arrested Anthony Arriaga, a 20-year-old from OH, and charged him with first-degree murder.
Advertisement
Mingo County Sheriff James Smith said on Wednesday that authorities still don’t know of any connection between the suspect, 20-year-old Anthony R. Arriaga of Delphos, Ohio, and Bennett K. Hatfield, the 59-year-old former president and CEO of Patriot Coal.
Arriaga was arrested Tuesday in Allen County, Ohio, before being returned to West Virginia.
Municipal Court Chief Deputy Clerk Brenda Benedict says Arriaga signed forms waiving his right to have an extradition hearing.
They say 20-year-old Ricky Peterson is accused of disrupting the investigation.
Sheriff Smith didn’t immediately release a motive and said he didn’t know Mr. Arriaga’s hometown. Hatfield resigned in 2015 as president and CEO of Patriot Coal, a month before the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time.
He was also the International Coal Group’s CEO during the 2006 explosion at company’s Sago Mine in northern West Virginia which killed 12 miners. The robbery turned into a shooting and Arriaga found himself in custody on Wednesday, where police said he confessed to murder days after fatally shooting Hatfield near the spot where his wife is buried.
Arriaga was arrested Tuesday in Allen County, Ohio, before being returned to West Virginia. The man who allegedly provided Arriaga a ride contacted authorities after learning of Hatfield’s death.
After Hatfield’s girlfriend reported him missing Sunday, police tracked his cellphone to the graveyard. When they arrived they found that auto matched the description of the vehicle West Virginia authorities were looking for in connection with the murder investigation.
Just before police arrived, the white suspect vehicle left the parking lot.
Mingo County Prosecutor Teresa Maynard says Arriaga allegedly shot Hatfield while Fitzpatrick, who meant to steal Hatfield’s vehicle, fled instead.
Mingo County Prosecutor Teresa Maynard says 20-year-old Anthony Arriaga of Delphos, Ohio, and 18-year-old Brandon Lee Fitzpatrick of Louisa, Kentucky, wanted to hijack a vehicle.
Smith said Arriaga’s mother, Angela Marcum, was present at her son’s arrest Tuesday.
Advertisement
Thames says police stopped a vehicle carrying Marcum and Brandon Lee Fitzpatrick, and methamphetamine was confiscated. Arriaga went to Peterson’s home after the shooting and told him about it, according to a criminal complaint filed in Wayne County Magistrate Court. She is facing drug charges and falsely reporting an incident. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
