EVERETT — A Snohomish County jury didn’t buy a Granite Falls man’s story that he shot another man to protect himself and his buddy.
George Hatt Jr. faces decades in prison when he is sentenced later this summer. A jury Thursday convicted Hatt of first-degree murder with a firearm in the shooting death of Andrew Spencer. They also found him guilty of unlawful gun possession and tampering with physical evidence.
Hatt, 50, hugged his defense attorneys before Snohomish County corrections deputies led him off. Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives celebrated the verdict with handshakes and back slaps.
Spencer’s family and friends left the courtroom in tears. Spencer, 31, was missing for more than a week before his remains were discovered in a fire pit on the property where Hatt was staying with his girlfriend.
Investigators were told that Hatt buried the man after shooting him in early November 2015. Jurors heard that Hatt kept a fire burning for several days and dumped chemicals into the pit.
A man who helped hide the body eventually led detectives to the pit, saying the shooting happened after Spencer assaulted him. Hatt, he said, fired two rounds. Spencer was shot in the head.
Hatt testified for hours Monday, denying he planned the killing. He told jurors he believed he saw a gun in Spencer’s hand when he intervened in the assault. He admitted that he later realized the slain man didn’t have a firearm. He said it was a metal pipe.
He said he was afraid for his life and also was concerned about his friend’s safety.
Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Hal Hupp alleged that Hatt killed Spencer in retaliation for a burglary. His house was broken into, guitars and jewelry were taken and he blamed Spencer. He told several people he was out to get the suspected burglar. Spencer’s girlfriend testified that on one occasion Hatt was holding a gun when he asked where he could find Spencer.
Hatt is a felon with convictions out of California and North Carolina. Detectives were told that he was running an illegal chop shop on the rural Granite Falls property.
Superior Court Judge George Appel ordered the defendant held without bail pending the sentencing. Hatt’s attorney asked that the jail reinstate Hatt’s phone and visitation privileges. He hasn’t been allowed to contact his family.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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