Scott Hapgood Says He Killed A Hotel Worker In Self-Defense — The Government Of Anguilla Says Otherwise
Who's telling the truth?
Facebook Scott Hapgood was vacationing in Anguilla with his wife and children when, he claims, he was the victim of an attempted invasion and robbery by a hotel worker.
In response, he killed the man.
And while he's claiming self-defense, the Anguillan government is claiming murder. Who's right? And who is Gavin Scott Hapgood, the man at the center of this controversy?
Let's look at what we know about this man.
1. He claims it was self-defense.
According to Page Six, UBS banker and financial advisor Hapgood claims that he and his family were staying at the five-star Malliouhana Hotel when 27-year-old hotel worker Kenny Mitchel broke into the room wielding a knife and demanding money.
Hapgood said that he was trying to protect his wife and children when he killed Mitchel.
2. Hapgood also said that Kenny Mitchel was 'crazed and desperate,' and the toxicology report on Mitchel confirms Hapgood's claims.
"Hapgood's family said he was stabbed, bitten several times and sustained 'many' bruises over his arms and chest. Mitchel's autopsy report shows he was beaten and choked to death. A toxicology report released by the island's attorney general also shows Mitchel had cocaine, cannabis and other drugs in his system. His blood-alcohol content was more than two times the legal limit in the U.S." reported CBS News.
3. He says that he's been 'living a nightmare' ever since that fateful night.
Hapgood told ABC News that he's been 'living a nightmare' ever since he killed Kenny Mitchel.
He said that he's been harassed endlessly by both the Anguillan government and Anguillan residents for what he did.
4. Hapgood is originally from Connecticut, and he's a wealthy banker.
"Darien, CT native Hapgood has also been threatened online, according to [his international lawyer Juliya] Arbisman. In April, the Royal Anguilla Police Force decried users' comments on its Facebook page that 'have no foundation in fact and are likely to incite racial hatred and can prejudice a jury especially since they will be chosen from among the community of Anguilla'," reports CNN.
5. He will be tried in Anguilla.
According to a different report for CBS, Scott Hapgood is due to stand trial in Anguilla for the death of Kenny Mitchel.
He posted a $74,000 bond so he could return to the United States before his trial.
6. Hapgood said he'd "do it again" if given the chance.
"I was on vacation relaxing with my family and attacked at knifepoint in a private hotel room. All that I did was defend my young daughters in front of an attacker that was crazed and desperate and I have to just hold onto that fact. I would do it again and thank God I was in the room when he came," he told CBS.
7. GoFundMe cancelled his defense fundraiser
Hapgood's friends organized a GoFundMe (with his permission) to help him pay the legal fees associated with his defense.
Although the effort raised $250,000 toward the goal amount of $400,000 in just six days, Page Six reports the site "canceled the campaign because it violated the crowd-sourcing platform’s rules against fundraisers for the legal defense of someone accused of a violent crime."
So whose side of the story do you believe?
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series.