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See also: Carol Hatley Accused of Murdering, Partially Dismembering Her Mother
Carol Hatley — the daughter of 73-year-old Deborah Hatley, who was found dead and “in the process of being dismembered” yesterday morning — stabbed her mother to death, according to a prosecutor.
During her initial court appearance (which can be viewed here), the prosecutor said he spoke with a detective who informed him that Deborah Hatley died from “multiple stab wounds.”
Carol Hatley told police she found her mother dead around 7 p.m. on Sunday, and had a neighbor call police more than seven hours later, according to court documents obtained by New Times.
Hatley told police that for the 7 1/2 hours between finding her mother’s body and having her neighbor call the cops, she was touching all the evidence.
She didn’t have an explanation as to why she didn’t immediately call police, and “showed no remorse or emotions related to the loss of her mother,” the documents state.
“[Hatley] was extremely passive and did not express concern,” according to a detective’s probable-cause statement.
Hatley — whom police say was intoxicated when they showed up — admitted to wrapping her mother in plastic bags, as she told police she was about to bring her to the hospital, according to the documents.
The court documents say Hatley described her mother’s injuries in “graphic detail” — police say she had “obvious trauma to her body” — and admitted to handling two weapons that were “left” at the scene of the crime.
A probable-cause statement notes that Hatley was inconsistent in her stories to police, and was “clearly deceptive to investigators.”
The statement says Hatley’s story didn’t quite match up to what was found at the crime scene.
Hatley’s family told police that she had an “alcohol dependency,” and “had the potential for violence when intoxicated.”
Hatley and her mother were the only ones who lived at the house — near 49th Avenue and Cactus Road — and there were no signs of forced entry, according to the documents.
Court documents note that police haven’t responded to any previous incidents between Hatley and her mother, but family members told the cops they had a “strained relationship.”
Hatley was jailed on one count of second-degree murder, and her bond was set at $1 million.
She does not appear to have any criminal history in Arizona, according to court records.
