The Anguilla resort worker allegedly killed in a struggle with a Connecticut banker had so much cocaine in his system — he was essentially walking dead, a revised autopsy report shows.
Kenny Mitchel, 27, didn’t die from injuries he sustained in the April 13 fight with Scott Hapgood but instead perished from the lethal dose of coke in his bloodstream, according to the report, obtained by The New York Times.
“Acute cocaine toxicity could have been a potentially independent cause of death in the known circumstances,” reads the Sept. 3 report by Dr. Stephen King.
Hapgood, 44, was charged with manslaughter in the case after a coroner ruled Mitchel had been asphyxiated during their struggle.
The revised autopsy report — which was based on Mitchel’s recently-released toxicology tests — show he was essentially already dying when he walked in to Hapgood’s suite at the five-star Malliouhana hotel the day of the brawl.
The Hapgood family claim Mitchel showed up unannounced to their room with a knife and demanded money — forcing the UBS financial adviser to act to defend himself and his young daughters.
They say their dream vacation turned into a “chilling nightmare” and a “literal fight to survive” that left Hapgood with serious injuries.
The toxicology tests released last month show Mitchel was on coke, tested positive for traces of marijuana and had a blood alcohol content level of .18 when he died.
Hapgood’s lawyers had the new autopsy report analyzed by the Maryland Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. David R. Fowler, who found that the coke in Mitchel’s bloodstream was “twice that commonly accepted to have a fatal outcome,” and caused his lungs to fill with blood, suffocating him.
It’s widely accepted that finding 900 nanograms of cocaine per milliliter in a person’s bloodstream can be lethal. Mitchel had 1,900 nanograms per milliliter, according to the report.
Still, it’s unclear how the new findings will affect Hapgood’s trial on the tiny Caribbean island.
The Darien banker was released on $74,000 bond and went home, sparking outrage from locals who argued he was getting preferential treatment as a rich American.
Hapgood returned to Anguilla last month for a series of hearings, which were adjourned until Nov. 11.
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