BUTTE, Mont. (AP) - A former Butte man was charged with killing his father after investigators were able to prove the missing man was dead, a Montana sheriff said Thursday.
Adam Hatfield, 23, was arrested Wednesday in the southwestern South Dakota city of Hot Springs, where he had been working at a convenience store.
A complaint charging Hatfield with deliberate homicide in the 2008 death of his father Matt Hatfield, 49, was filed Tuesday in Justice Court in Butte-Silver Bow County.
Sheriff Ed Lester said Thursday that the case was solved with forensic testing that was able to prove Matt Hatfield was dead.
The complaint states Adam Hatfield killed his father and “knowingly displayed, brandished, or otherwise used a firearm, destructive device, or other dangerous weapon.” Lester would not elaborate at a Thursday press briefing.
“That’s one of those things that will come out as the case progresses,” Lester told The Montana Standard.
He did say investigators believe Matt Hatfield was killed on his mother’s property, where he was living when he went missing. The property and nearby Forest Service land was searched extensively after Matt Hatfield was reported missing in December 2008.
An extradition hearing is scheduled Friday morning in Hot Springs for Adam Hatfield. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney.
Fall River County Sheriff Rich Mraz said Adam Hatfield’s arrest was a joint investigation between South Dakota agencies and Montana authorities who alerted his office to Hatfield’s location.
Adam Hatfield faces punishment of 10 to 100 years in state prison if convicted of deliberate homicide. Silver Bow County Attorney Eileen Joyce asked in the court filing to potentially add another two to 10 years for the use of a weapon.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.