Scott Hapgood Discusses Nightmare Of Anguilla Manslaughter Case

NEW YORK, NY — A weary Scott Hapgood told a packed press conference Tuesday afternoon in New York City that his family has been "hanging on by a thread" in the months following the April altercation in Anguilla in which a man was killed and Hapgood is facing manslaughter charges.

The Darien resident - who is a banker with UBS currently on administrative leave - was on vacation with his family at the Malliouhana hotel in the Caribbean country, when he got into an altercation with hotel worker Kenny Mitchel, who ended up dead.

Hapgood has steadfastly maintained that Mitchel attacked him, forcing Hapgood to act in self-defense to not only protect himself but also his young daughters who were in the hotel room at the time.

"On April 13, my family's life was changed forever," Hapgood said Tuesday, who returned from Anguilla on Monday. "Since that day, we've been living a nightmare that has gradually become our reality."

Hapgood and his international attorney Juliya Arbisman have traveled to Anguilla multiple times in recent weeks to meet court obligations, but they say they have been told by law enforcement in the country that Hapgood's life has been threatened following the incident.

Despite that, Hapgood says he has every intention to fully meet his court obligations, including a second trip to Anguilla this week.

"We want the same thing as the people of Anguilla: for the truth to come out," Hapgood said. "To that end, I will fully comply with the requirements of the court to ensure that all the facts are presented. A great deal of misinformation and outright falsehoods have surrounded this story, and I am hopeful that when the real story is presented to the public, the people of Anguilla will understand how this tragic event unfolded.

"Lastly, I want to thank my family and my legal team for supporting me – and for staying so strong – throughout this process. We have a long road ahead of us, but I'm looking forward to someday getting back to the life we once had."

Arbisman said that partly because of the threats against Hapgood - which authorities have told them are credible - she has asked that the island's Attorney General's office allow Hapgood to testify via video conference, but so far that request has been denied.

Because of the death threats, they have had to travel with a security detail to and around the island.

"I worry about Scott's ability to get a fair trial," Arbisman said, adding that she does not believe he has received special treatment because he is an American, as some reports have hinted. "We're urging prosecutors and law enforcement to work with us to ensure a safe, fair trial."

As an example, Arbisman said that prosecutors withheld a toxicology report for two months that said that Mitchel had drugs and alcohol in his system at the time of the altercation, and he was facing rape charges from an unrelated incident that occurred a month before.

"This has been my first experience with legal matters, so I'm very nervous," Hapgood said. "But I know that my family were victims."