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Conn. Man Charged With Killing Hotel Worker In Anguilla Speaks Out

Darien, Conn. (CBSNewYork) — The Connecticut father of three accused in a deadly case of vacation violence hopes the charges are dropped.

Monday, the community turned out Monday to support Scott Hapgood, accused of killing a hotel worker in the Caribbean.

Neighbors, friends, fellow grads of Darien High School, it was a significant turnout of support for Hapgood, reported. CBS2's Tony Aiello.

"This support gives my family hope as we deal with this ordeal. We are still in shock that a simple vacation that we looked forward to for so long turned into a nightmare," Hapgood said.

There was emotion in hiss voice as he addressed the large crowd of supporters.

Watch: Scott Hapgood, Elected Officials Speak Out

Hapgood was clinging to his wife Kallie as U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal spoke.

"He deserves his day in court. That's our common goal here, and I'm hoping the State Department will pursue every possible avenue regarding the government of the United Kingdom, because they must be held accountable," Blumenthal said.

The UK oversees its Caribbean territory Anguilla, where during an April vacation at a luxury resort, Hapgood got into a violent struggle with hotel handyman Kenny Mitchel.

Hapgood says Mitchel, 27, showed up at the room with a knife and tried to rob him.

Hapgood says he feared his children were in danger and fought back, ending up on top of the much smaller man. Hapgood was charged with choking Mitchel to death.

But a new toxicology study points to drug overdose as the primary cause of death.

"The attack had two times a fatal amount of cocaine, alcohol, marijuana and other substances in his system," said Darien First Selectwoman Jayme Stevenson. "So we have to ask why are we here today. Why is Scott being put through this process?"

"I have been disqualified from coaching my kids' sports teams, which gave me a sense of purpose. I go back and forth to Anguilla in the face of significant dangers to make sure that the facts come out because the hard science shows what really happened," Hapgood said.

President Donald Trump tweeted two weeks ago that he was "looking into" the case. Hapgood thanked the White House counsel's office for assisting.

"My heart aches for the family, and I just pray that there's justice and he gets home safely. No one deserves this nightmare," said Darien resident Lindsey Clark.

He'll be back in Anguilla on Nov. 11 for a hearing and decision from a judge whether the case moves forward to trial.

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