TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums General Caribbean American Tourist Kills Anguilla Hotel Employee

Any thoughts about this story?

I think something more happened that day

https://onemileatatime.com/anguilla-hotel-murder/

That's a weird story. My first thought was that it was a drug deal gone bad..

I think it’s very possible there is more to the story, much of which may never be known. After reading most everything I could find on the subject , and focusing just on legitimate news sources ( not the social media campaigns) my impression is this: There is much in the defendants story that doesnt make sense. The action taken doesn’t seem to mesh with the alleged demand for valuables at knifepoint. Especially with family members in the room. Wouldn’t most folks hand over whatever was being demanded , then take action when the intruder has left ? Safety first, then get assistance from hotel staff and law enforcement. There are many possibilities, but the strangulation seems like an act of rage more than anything. The hotel worker may have been in possession of a knife ( he was a maintenance man after all, and might use such a tool from time to time) but might have used it as a frantic attempt to save himself being strangled to death. That it was broad daylight and the hotel worker was on the job and possibly known to the defendant makes it even more unusual. The robber would have little chance of not being caught. Many things are possible, but I understand the Anguillians skepticism at the story, and in their government.

It needs more investigation. That being said, if an armed assailant enters a room occupied by a wife and children, there are two choices: defend your family with all you've got, or cower in the corner and HOPE nothing bad happens to your family. Myself, I would choose the first, when the opportunity was there. Your ideas may vary. All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.

It's just so weird, by all reports, this seems so out of character for the person who was killed, but also seems out of character for a banker to kill someone with their bare hands. Weird..

That sounds good and valiant, but you are assuming a lot. The defendant said he was being robbed, not assaulted, nor did he say a family member was attacked and he rushed in to defend them. Two different scenarios. Defending your family means escalating a simple robbery to a much more dangerous situation. The circumstances and method of killing in particular suggest there could be more to the story. The weapon in question was a knife. If the robbery was thwarted , do you subdue the assailant and take the knife, or proceed to strangle them past the point of consciousness and even to death? This may have been a rage induced reaction to something other than robbery. Many robberies and crimes against tourists are crimes of “ opportunity”. What robber sees confronting an entire family in their room at a luxury resort where they are employed ( during their own work shift ) as a golden opportunity to pull off a heist ? Also, this happened in Anguilla, not say, Florida. What does the law say about what was done in this circumstance? There is much yet to be known in this bizarre case.

So handing over some valuables and then calling authorities is not an option if being robbed ?

Parrotfish--Huhm, I wonder how old the girls were, and I wonder where the wife was supposed to be in the situation? Supposedly the girls were there when this happened, but not the wife?

I've read that the wife was there too. It is said that she video recorded the entire thing.

Oh, ok. Now THAT is weird. She videos her husband beating someone to death?

Here is where I read that his wife videoed the entire thing. I know I have read it other places too, but I can't find the articles right now.

https://www.theroot.com/paradise-privilege-and-the-mysterious-death-of-kenny-m-1834288207

Carol, this whole situation is WIERD! Too many unanswered questions. We may never get the whole story.

A case for a modern day Perry Mason. Things don't add up for either story. Where are the missing emails, I mean missing iPhone. Knife or no knife. If he had him on his belly on the floor, the threat was minimized=possible excessive force.

It appears the couple has spoken, here is the article, turns out she didn't video tape it after all. Here is the article:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/statement-scott-hapgood-family-110000191.html

Thoughts I read while on Anguilla just after it happened were that the guy called the young man to his room where the altercation took place. Supposedly he asked the guy to come to his room. Speculations are he wanted to confront the guy who was engaging with his wife/ that he threatened one of the girls/ robbery. None of it makes sense. The Anguillan people are angry that he changed hotels prior to being arrested, was denied bail, then was given bail and allowed to leave the country. He left on his private charter back to CT. Highly doubt he will be back.

Laurel--as in, the husband thought his wife was romantically involved with the man that was killed?

What was the cause of death?

I read what info is available and a father protecting his two young daughters who were followed back to their hotel room by a maintainance 27 year old man is suspicious. I know of many stories of minors being followed home and raped before the parents got home. Just saying if the girls were groped or touched before the father entered the room if would make more sense that he killed him.

Why would security restrain someone who was dead.

Sure looks like stab wounds on his upper chest.

This is a case that should not be exploited till the trial when all the facts come out. I feel for the family on a holiday and end up in social media where they can not tell all the facts of the case till it goes to trial. I remember in 1989 talking to a lawyer @ Cheris in Maho. He was on the island to take notes from a case of a 13 year girl who was raped in a Mullet Bay unit. Her parents were on the beach and she we t back to the room alone but was followed. She was raped and found tied to the bed by her parents when they returned to the unit. This was never in the papers and back then facebook was in it developement... My point is leave this family alone till all the facts come out in a trial.

Point well taken. Speculation, particularly speculation in print, does little beyond starting rumors. This is sad for everyone involved.

That was a rumor Carol. There was a clip on Inside Edition recently after we returned home. Hapgood's face looks like there was a violent fight. The 3 kids I guess were in the room but his wife wasn't. So many unanswered questions. People on island think he called the guy to his room. The tape on IE says it was possibly a robbery. (You can search for the link) We probably will never know what happened. All I know is we arrived shortly after it happened and residents were asking us what we thought. Yes, Pat it is very sad for everyone. Terrible situation. Travelhat autopsy was released as blunt force drama and asphyxiation and I think something else but I don't remember. Hopefully the man will return to court in August so the case can go forward. People on the island are upset that he was able to leave the island but I think he was only charged with manslaughter/not murder. Very sad.

Some unanswered questions.

The hotel employee allegedly came to the room to fix a sink. Does the hotel have a work order ? Did some one call in a problem with the sink.

The hotel employee had $600 in various currencies on him. The decedent's father later stated that he had given the money to his son. Did he give his son $600 in "various currencies" ?

Sound like the guy was using his hotel uniform to get into the rooms, and then rob them.

There was a long article about this incident in the New York Times this past weekend. That is where I saw the report about the $600 in various currencies being found on the decedent. The article also mentioned that the occupants of the room had not made any complaints about the sink.

Could you post a link to the story? Anything new going on with this?

NYT is behind a paywall

Ah, ok. I get that all the time with the Washington Post. I should just pay for it.

NYT article also notes that Mitchel had been arrested and charged with rape (of his live-in girlfriend and mother of his child) less than three weeks prior to the incident: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/09/nyregion/gavin-hapgood-kenny-mitchel-anguilla.html . Other interesting details as well.

Also, he toxciology report shows Mitchel was legally drunk and had cocaine, THC and other drugs in his system: https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/lo...ly-killed-by-Darien-man-had-14341909.php

Initial hearing is scheduled for August 22.

Second link did in fact work for me. All of that information surely does shed some new light on the whole situation!!

Hearing continued to November

Anyone have any other info?

Another update with revised coroner's report

I understand the locals are quite upset about this case, but it seems to me this should end this manslaughter case??

Common sense would tell you that the charges should be dropped (and should have never been brought in the first place).

Trump vows to look into case of UBS banker accused of killing hotel worker in Anguilla

https://nypost.com/2019/10/14/trump...sed-of-killing-hotel-worker-in-anguilla/

Update

Hapgood has failed to show up for a hearing. I don't understand why the charges aren't just being dismissed, based on the blood test results.

Good article summarizing the case, although that it omits the fact that his daughters were in the room when he was attacked:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/21/nyregion/gavin-scott-hapgood-anguilla-manslaughter.html