US banker accused of killing hotel worker in Anguilla shares photos of his injuries, says he put up the fight of his life against maintenance man who ‘pulled a knife on him and tried to rob him in front of his young daughters’
UBS banker Scott Hapgood , 44, was charged with manslaughter for the death of Kenny Mitchel in Anguilla said on Thursday that he did what any parent would have done
Gavin Scott Hapgood claims he was defending his family after the 27-year-old hotel worker he’s accused of killing while on vacation in Anguilla ‘pulled a knife on him and tried to rob him in front of his young daughters’
Cause of death for Kenny Richie Marty Mitchell, was listed as prone restraint, positional asphyxia and blunt force trauma to the head, neck and torso
The investment banker, his wife and three young children were was staying at the Malliouhana resort hotel in Anguilla on April 13, when Mitchel allegedly showed up at his room claiming to wanted to fix a sink
Hapgood says he came inside, pulled a knife on him and tried to rob him – He was inside with his two young daughters at the time and fought the would-be robber off
He shared photos of his injuries and says he put up the fight of his life against 27-year-old maintenance man – he suffered bites to the face and cuts before a security guard intervened
His wife Kallie claims she was not in the room when Mitchel appeared claiming to want to fix the sink , local reports put her on the scene, filming the incident on her white I-Phone
Hapgood is due back in Anguilla on August 22 but is in the US after posting bail
The photo showing extensive injuries was taken after the attack, before Scott Hapgood was taken to the hospital in Anguilla on April 13. Hotel maintenance worker Kenny Mitchel, came to their room to fix a broken sink that no one in the family had reported. Once inside, instead he pulled a knife and tried to rob him, Hapgood said
Kenny Mitchel’s death certificate says his death was caused by asphyxiation and blunt force trauma
It is also unclear how long after the incident Mitchel was pronounced dead.
Hapgood was taken to the hospital and then to jail where he spent one night before being freed. He then checked into the Four Seasons and spent two days there before being charged for manslaughter.
His family says he learned Mitchel had died during his first night in jail.
Mitchel’s autopsy report says his death was caused by asphyxiation and blunt force trauma but it does not say what time he died.
Hapgood flew back to Connecticut last month after posting $74,000 in bail money.
However in a different account of events theroot reports that Around 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, a security worker at the Malliouhana resort was alerted by other employees to a commotion in a suite.
The guard opened the door with other staff members to find Hapgood, who was listed in college at 6-foot-2, 240-pounds, on top of Mitchell who weighed approximately 140 pounds and stood 5 feet 7 inches.
Alleged firsthand accounts say that Hapgood had Mitchell in a chokehold with his knee in Mitchell’s back.
This account also mentions that Hapgood’s children were also in the room, as was his wife Kallie, who reportedly filmed the incident.
Death of hotel worker Kenny Marty Mitchel, [photo], in Anguilla reportedly was caused by blunt force trauma and asphyxiation. Hapwood says Mitchel pulled a knife on him once he was inside the family’s room, demanded money leading to the altercation
They claim Mitchel had come to rob them and that Hapgood put up the fight of his life during which he was bitten several times on the nose.
In a photograph taken after the incident, he is seen bruised and bleeding with the skin on his nose ripped.
‘When Scott and our family went on vacation, we never thought he would end up defending himself and our young children against an armed intruder.
Hapgood insisted he never called for a maintenance worker to come to his room, and said he instinctively allowed Mitchel into his room because he was wearing a hotel uniform.
“Neither Scott nor any member of our family knew the attacker before April 13, 2019, when he came to our room, dressed in the hotel’s uniform,” the family statement said.
Hapgood and his wife Kallie were on vacation with their son and two daughters. She claims she was not in the room when Mitchel appeared claiming to want to fix the sink . Local reports put her on the scene, filming the incident on her white I-Phone
The family was staying at the luxury Malliouhana resort [photo] when the incident happened on April 13
Hapgood was taken to the hospital and then to jail where he spent the night.
His family say that it was the hotel they were staying in that then checked him into the Four Seasons the following day.
They denied that he was choked and said: ‘Scott himself sustained severe injuries as a result of the physical struggle which ensued.
‘Scott was literally fighting for his life.
He was bitten multiple times by the attacker, including on his face.’
‘Scott’s wounds will heal, but the trauma of this incident will be with our family forever.
‘Scott has spent his entire life doing the right things: he is married to his college sweetheart, he has worked at the same company for over 20 years, he is a volunteer coach and a loving and devoted father.
‘[He] did what any parent would do — defend himself and his children.
And thanks to his actions, Scott and our family survived this terrible encounter,’ they added.
Enraged residents forced Anguilla police to arrest Gavin Scott Hapgood two days after the death of Kenny Mitchel
According to local accounts during the pandemonium, Hapgood allegedly told the security guard that Mitchell had attempted to rob them with a knife.
Sources say that Mitchell, who at the time was lying under the larger Hapgood, refuted Hapgood’s accusations.
When employees attempted to break up the altercation, the security guard purportedly warned staff members not to intervene because Kallie Hapgood was filming the incident on what two eyewitnesses described as a large white iPhone.
“So anyway, [Kenny] was alive at the time, and he said, ‘Stop it, stop!’, and Hapgood looked over him and said, ‘He came to my room to rob me!’” one witness told theroot.
“And Kenny said, ‘No!’, and [Gavin] said, ‘Shut up!’ And he applied a lot of pressure to [Kenny’s] neck, and in no time at all, he expired.”
Hapgood’s family say he has done the right thing ‘his entire life’ and that he was acting in self-defense and to defend his family. But Anguillians are enraged by what the consider preferential treatment he has received
The case has enraged local residents who said it was unjust that Hapgood was allowed to post bail.
Mitchel’s brother has also spoken out in defense of him. He said he would never have tried to steal from a hotel guest.
‘He would never try something that dumb. Even if it was possible he would not,’ Kimon Mitchel told NBC last month.
‘Why would someone try to do something like that? It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t add up. It doesn’t make sense,’ he said, adding that his brother was ‘so nice’ he even refused tips from hotel guests sometimes.
‘He was a very nice person, and people at the hotel would always have good things to say.
‘Everyone knew Kenny, everyone knew what type of person he was,’ he added.
A local radio host also said it would have been out of character for him to steal.
‘Everyone on the island can vouch for him. He is a hard worker; he did a lot of jobs at the hotel, he comes from a very good family, his father has a stellar record, brother has an unblemished record.
‘Nobody can say that he was the type of person who would try to rip off someone or try to steal,’ said Haydn Hughes.
On Sunday, April 14, in a statement, Anguilla police acknowledged the incident took place. By Monday, almost everyone on the island was aware of Mitchell’s death but Hapgood was still a free man.
On Tuesday, when Hapgood, who still hadn’t been arrested, was given a police escort across the island to the Four Seasons Hotel, Anguillans lined the streets and were outraged to witness the spectacle of privilege.
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