Darien man charged with manslaughter in Anguilla

A Connecticut financial adviser has been charged with manslaughter while on vacation in the Caribbean.

Gavin Scott Hapgood, 44, of Darien, was arrested and charged with manslaughter on Wednesday, according to the Royal Anguilla Police Force. Hapgood is a UBS financial adviser.

Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory, is located in the Eastern Caribbean. There is a small main island and several offshore islets.

Police said Hapgood appeared before the magistrate court Wednesday. Bail was denied, police said, and he was remanded to prison and is expected back in court on Aug. 22. However, a statement from Police Commissioner Paul Morrison Friday night said the court ended up granting bail.

Thomas Astaphan, Hapgood’s local attorney, told the court Hapgood would return to Anguilla to clear his name, according to the Anguillian, a local newspaper. The paper reported Hapgood had been “on vacation with his family in Anguilla staying at a hotel in the West End of the island.”

According to RAPF, police responded to the West End area of Anguilla around 4 p.m. on April 13 for an incident that “resulted in the death of one resident of Anguilla.

The victim — identified by Anguilla police as “Mr. Mitchell” — was said to be an employee working at the hotel where Hapgood and his family were staying. The outlet said a death certificate showed the man died from “prone restraint, positional asphyxia and blunt force trauma to the head, neck and torso.”

A statement from the Anguillia government identified him as Kenny Mitchell. The Anguillian reported Mitchell was 27.

A representative for UBS told the New York Post they were aware of the events and following the situation closely, adding that it wouldn’t be appropriate to provide “any comment in relation to an active criminal proceeding.”

Tensions are high following the incident, which was initially referred to by RAPF police as a homicide investigation.

“We are not shrouding the case in mystery we are bound by rules and so are others on what can be said,” a Friday night statement from Police Commissioner Paul Morrison said. “We have charged a man in connection with the death of Mr. Mitchell. The court granted bail and we now prepare for the court process and eventual trial.”

Morrison said “it is in everybody’s interest” that the authorities seek justice for victims of crime and that those accused of crimes are dealt with fairly.

The RAPF public media relations officer provided a statement on Facebook on Friday morning about the scores of comments on its page about the charge and what happened. Comments varied in support for the victim and the accused.

“The Royal Anguilla Police Force acknowledges the fact that people want information in respect of the recent arrest and charging of a U.S. tourist, however, like all investigations these are not conducted on social media,” the statement said. “The comments being made on the RAPF Facebook 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.”