Butte Man Found Guilty of Killing His Father

A 25-year-old Butte man has been convicted of killing his father in November 2008.

Jurors in Butte deliberated for about 11 hours Thursday before finding Adam Hatfield guilty of deliberate homicide in the death of Matt Hatfield.

Prosecutors said Matt Hatfield was beaten with a baseball bat in a cabin south of Butte that he shared with his 18-year-old son, who then disposed of the body.

Part of Matt Hatfield's skull was found by a research scientist in October 2010. State crime lab experts testified that the DNA from Hatfield's skull matched blood on the wall of the cabin and on a baseball bat found outside the cabin.

Defense attorney David Vicevich argued the state did not prove its case because it did not test the bat handle for fingerprints.