Rebecca Hatcher takes stand in her own defense - WVVA TV Bluefield Beckley WV News, Weather and Sports

WELCH (WVVA) - The woman accused of murdering her father-in-law and former War Mayor Thomas Hatcher takes the stand in her murder trial.

Rebecca Hatcher was the final witness for the defense, telling the court she wasn't there at the time of Mayor Hatcher's death.

Rebecca Hatcher takes the stand in her own defense.  Prosecutors say she and her brother suffocated her father-in-law and former War Mayor Thomas Hatcher with a plastic bag while he slept.  She denies the charge.

"I would never hurt him," says Rebecca Hatcher.

She admitted to arguing with her father-in-law over money a week before he died, even taking $160 from his debit card to go gambling, but she points out she had access to some of his finances because he paid her to clean his house.

"You have to take all bed sheets off, put new ones on, wash all his clothes from week before, vacuum, dust and clean bathroom," said Rebecca Hatcher.

For family and friends of Mayor Thomas Hatcher, sitting through the trial has been hard.

"It's been difficult because I'm hearing people say things that I know are not true.  To sit there and not scream and shout is really hard," says Jean Battlo, a friend of Thomas Hatcher.