Anthony Raheem Arriaga is shown in a photo provided by the Allen County (Ohio) Sheriff’s office, Tuesday, May 24, 2016.
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A man arrested in Kentucky Wednesday morning will be charged for crimes related to the slaying of Ben Hatfield, a longtime coal company executive who was killed in Mingo County earlier this week, law enforcement officials said.
West Virginia authorities in Delphos Wednesday investigating new updates in the murder investigation of former coal CEO Ben Hatfield in West Virginia. Hatfield was CEO of International Coal Group, which owned the mine, when it exploded and trapped 13 miners underground.
An Ohio man fatally shot a former coal company executive at a cemetery where the businessman’s wife is buried and has been arrested on a first-degree murder warrant, a sheriff said Tuesday.
Charged with his murder is Anthony Raheem Arriaga, 20, who was arrested in OH, according to Mingo County Sheriff James Smith.
Mr. Hatfield was found on Monday morning shot to death in a cemetery near Williamson, W.Va., where he was visiting his wife’s grave, according to police. A man who drove Mr. Arriaga contacted authorities after hearing about Mr. Hatfield’s death.
Records didn’t indicate whether Arriaga or Peterson had attorneys. Detectives were interviewing Arriaga and will seek his extradition to West Virginia, Smith said.
He also worked in management jobs with Arch Coal and Massey Energy, received an appointment last June to the board of St. Louis coal producer Foresight Energy and served on the board of the West Virginia Coal Association.
Authorities believe Arriaga sneaked down a river bank next to the cemetery and asked some neighbors to take him to Wayne County, Smith said.
“Once he heard what was going on, [the driver] let us know he gave this subject a ride to Wayne County”, Mingo County Sheriff James Smith said, later adding, “We were totally lost”.
Sheriff Smith says they’ve also located a vehicle that’s connected to the case. They say 20-year-old Ricky Peterson is accused of disrupting the investigation.
The victim, Bennett Hatfield, resigned as CEO of a coal company in 2015 one month after it filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time.
Mr. Hatfield’s girlfriend had reported him missing after he didn’t return home after the weekend, and authorities traced his cellphone to the cemetery in Maher, where his body was found, Sheriff Smith said. Him catching that ride helped us’.
“It’s just absolutely unbelievable”, West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney told the paper of the killing. Hatfield’s wife Debbie was buried in the cemetary after her death from cancer several years ago, according to published reports.
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‘His kindness and compassion were legendary, as was his intellect and ability.
