Test Results May Help Darien Man In Anguilla Killing: Report

DARIEN, CT — The man who died during an altercation with Darien's Scott Hapgood at a hotel in Anguilla in April had a lethal amount of cocaine in his system at the time of his death, reports The New York Times.

An recent autopsy on 27-year-old Kenny Mitchel, an employee at the Malliouhana resort, says Mitchel died from the large amount of the drug in his system, and not from injuries from the fight with Hapgood, the publication writes.

The amount of the drug in Mitchel's system was twice the amount that could kill a person, the Times writes, which caused his lungs to fill with blood which suffocated him.

Hapgood was arrested following the incident and is facing manslaughter charges, and has steadfastly maintained he acted in self-defense. He said Mitchel was acting erratically when he came to Hapgood's room at the hotel to fix a sink, and Mitchel tried to rob him. The two fought in front of Hapgood's young daughters.

Since the incident, Hapgood has made multiple trips to the Caribbean island as part of his legal obligations, but the autopsy finding could potentially alter the case in Hapgood's favor.

The news comes on the heels of a GoFundMe page in support of Hapgood being removed by the charity website for violating its terms of service, writes the Darien Times, namely pages that support legal defense efforts in violent crimes are prohibited.

Jamie Diaferia, a spokesperson for Hapgood, told Patch in an email that the Hapgood family was appreciative of the support from the public.

"Unfortunately, the GoFundMe page created by friends of the Hapgood family was removed after more than $250,000 was raised on their behalf," Diaferia wrote. "The family is grateful for all the support they have received."

Click here to read the full story on The New York Times website.