Connecticut businessman who killed Caribbean resort worker says he would do it again

The Connecticut father and businessman who killed a resort worker who he claims tried to rob him and his family while on vacation in the Caribbean says he would do it again. 

‘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,’ father-of-three Gavin Scott Hapgood said of the April 13 incident. ‘I would do it again and thank God I was in that room when he came.’ 

The UBS banker made the comments to CBS This Morning as he returned to the island of Anguilla to face manslaughter charges in the death of Kenny Mitchel, 27, who worked at the luxurious Malliouhana resort. 

Hapgood, 44, was with his two young daughters in his hotel room at the upscale resort when he alleges Mitchel pulled a knife and tried to rob them after claiming he came to the room to fix the sink.  

Gavin Scott Hapgood spoke out for the first time since he killed hotel employee Kenny Mitchel in April to call him ‘crazed’ and ‘desperate’ and say he would ‘do it again’

A toxicology report reveals Mitchel, 27, had cocaine, marijuana and other drugs in his system as well as alcohol when he was killed

Mitchel was killed by Gavin Hapgood, 44, (pictured with his family) on April 13 at the resort in Anguilla where he worked. Hapgood killed Mitchel in front of his two daughters 

The UBS banker claims the killing was in ‘self-defense to protect the lives of his young daughters and himself’ and is seen here with scratches and what the family say are bite marks 

‘It’s certainly the most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced,’ Hapgood said. ‘Not just the attack but the way I was treated on the island, the time I spent in jail. 

‘The threats since, the frustration with dealing with the local judicial process and the local government.’ 

Hapgood was arrested and charged with manslaughter four days after the attack and was held at Her Majesty’s Prison in Anguilla after he was denied bail.

But he was later released on $74,000 bond after his attorney appealed to the High Court in a move that sparked anger among Anguillans.   

They demanded that he return to face justice in the British territory of nearly 15,000 people.    

Hapgood claims the killing was in ‘self-defense to protect the lives of his young daughters and himself.’

The family said in a statement in May that Hapgood was ‘fighting for his life’ and was bitten multiple times in the confrontation. 

According to the spokesperson, Mitchel showed up to the family’s room ‘unannounced in uniform’ and claimed ‘he was there to fix a broken sink before carrying out his sudden, violent attack on the family’. 

Hapgood has returned to the island of Anguilla to face manslaughter charges (pictured stepping off the plane)

Police say that Hapgood’s two young daughters were in the room at the upscale Malliouhana resort (above) when Mitchel died

Hapgood (pictured during his arrest) was originally denied bail, but a judge later approved his application for $74,000 in bail

Mitchel, originally from Dominica, died of prone restraint, asphyxiation and blunt force injuries to his torso, head and neck.   

A toxicology report revealed Monday that Mitchel tested positive for cocaine, marijuana and other drugs at the time of his death. 

The report also showed the 27-year-old father-of-one had a blood alcohol level of .181, which is more than double the legal limit in the US and UK. 

It’s also been revealed that just a month before his April 13 death, Mitchel was arrested and charged with raping his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child Emily Garlick. 

The case was pending at the time of his death but Garlick, who moved from the UK to Anguilla, told the New York Times that the incident was a ‘misunderstanding’. 

‘It wasn’t a rape,’ Garlick said. ‘It was a misunderstanding. We had a spat. We had a disagreement. That was it.’ 

Mitchel had been arrested and charged with raping ex-girlfriend and mother of his child Emily Garlick, who later called the incident a ‘misunderstanding’ and said it was not rape 

Mitchel’s mother Rina Mitchel (pictured) says: ‘My son wasn’t into those things. I am just praying and hoping that my son gets justice no matter what.

But Mitchel’s mother Rina tells CBS her son is not the villain he’s been painted to be.  

‘My son wasn’t into those things. I know Kenny, Kenny wasn’t into those things,’ she said. ‘I am just praying and hoping that my son gets justice no matter what.’

Hapgood is an account manager with UBS Global Asset Management in New York City and lives in Darien, Connecticut. 

A Hapgood family spokesman said in response to the latest news: ‘It has been shocking to learn that the man who violently attacked Scott and forced him to defend his life was out on bail for a rape charge and intoxicated at the time on a potentially lethal combination of illegal narcotics.’

DailyMail.com has reached out to Garlick for comment.

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