Tag: murder

Fall Trials Set for 2 Charged in Killing of Coal Executive

Two men are headed to trial in the fatal shooting of a former coal executive in southern West Virginia.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that 22-year-old Anthony Raheem Arriaga of Ohio will head to trial Sept. 5 in the May 2016 death of Bennett Hatfield.

Brandon Fitzpatrick, a 19-year-old from Kentucky, will go to trial Oct. 5.

Both face first-degree murder charges. Fitzpatrick also faces a conspiracy charge.

Arriaga pleaded guilty to murder and robbery charges in April, but later withdrew his plea.

Hatfield was visiting his wife’s gravesite when he was shot. He resigned in 2015 as Patriot Coal’s president and CEO.

Arriaga said they plotted to steal Hatfield’s SUV and sell its parts. Arriaga said he had been using drugs and had little sleep over several days.

Weekend Arrangements Set for Slain West Virginia Coal CEO

Slain coal executive Bennett Hatfield will be buried this weekend in southern West Virginia.

His obituary says friends can visit the family at River Ridge Church in Charleston on Saturday evening.

The funeral will be Sunday afternoon at the Regional Church of God at Delbarton.

The 59-year-old will be buried at Mountain View Memory Gardens in Maher, where he was found dead Monday.

Police say two men charged in Hatfield’s death wanted to steal his vehicle and sell it.

Authorities say Hatfield was visiting his wife’s gravesite at the graveyard when he was shot and killed. His SUV was found nearby.

Twenty-year-old Anthony Arriaga and eighteen-year-old Brandon Lee Fitzpatrick are charged with first-degree murder.

Hatfield resigned last year as president and CEO of Patriot Coal.

Suspect in Coal Exec's Death Arraigned

An Ohio man has been arraigned in the fatal shooting of former coal executive Bennett Hatfield in southern West Virginia.

Twenty-year-old Anthony R. Arriaga of Delphos, Ohio, appeared Thursday on a first-degree murder charge in Mingo County Circuit Court in Williamson.

He was ordered held without bond pending a preliminary hearing June 3.

The body of the 59-year-old Hatfield was found Monday at the Mountain View Memory Gardens cemetery in nearby Maher where his wife is buried.

Arriaga was arrested Tuesday in Allen County, Ohio, before being returned to West Virginia.

Hatfield resigned last year as president and CEO of Patriot Coal. He was International Coal Group’s CEO when a 2006 explosion at the Sago Mine in northern West Virginia killed 12 miners.

Authorities say they have not determined a motive.

Man Withdraws Guilty Plea in Cross Lanes Motel Murder

A man charged in a Cross Lanes motel murder has withdrawn his guilty plea at the last second.

Media outlets report Terrick Hogan had entered a written guilty plea to first-degree murder with mercy in the January 2015 robbery and murder when he asked to read a letter his mother sent to the judge.

Hogan was about to join his girlfriend Shayla Stephenson and triggerman Marcus Curtis in pleading guilty in the robbery and murder of his friend, Kalvon Casdorph. His trial was set to begin Monday. But when he read the letter critical of his lawyer, Hogan backed out of the plea and asked for a new attorney. The judge granted his request.

Hogan says he felt his lawyer hadn’t tried hard enough to get a better deal.

Man Receives Maximum Sentence in Roommate's Slaying

A Morgantown man who pleaded guilty to killing a roommate has received the maximum sentence.

Multiple media outlets report that 56-year-old Charles Shaffer was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Tuesday in Monongalia County Circuit Court. Shaffer will be eligible for parole after serving 10 years.

Shaffer had previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Prosecutors say Shaffer and 48-year-old Brian Greeson beat and stabbed 41-year-old Leslie Fields inside an apartment the three men shared in December 2014.

Both defendants were indicted on first-degree murder charges. Greeson’s trial is set for February.

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