St. Lucia police reported on Tuesday that Roger Pratt's autopsy found he died from asphyxia while being beaten to death aboard his docked boat named Magnetic Attraction, the Associated Press reported.
Authorities also reported five suspects have been apprehended and would be charged at a later unspecified date, according to the AP.
Pratt, 62, was attacked this past Friday along with his wife Margaret who has been hospitalized and is being treated for her injuries, the AP reported.
The couple, originally from Warwickshire, England, had been travelling since June to celebrate Margaret's 60th birthday and had anchored the boat in the southern town of Vieux Fort for a couple of weeks, according to the AP. They were preparing to leave for Bequia, another St. Lucia Island, and then to Grenadines.
St. Lucia Police Commissioner Vernon Francois said the couple reported hearing noises outside the boats cabin and when they went to investigate found the attackers who were demanding money and other items, the AP reported.
Pratt's wife was also beaten at one point. She said she found her husband's body floating in the water after the attackers left and says her husband was not shot, despite previous reported, according to the AP.
"There were no knives, no guns, although of course, considerable violence in the attack," Pratt said in an interview distributed by the government, the AP reported.
She added the couple had not "felt unsafe in St. Lucia until the events of those final tragic minutes, and have had considerable kindness from very many people," according to the AP.
The island of St. Lucia is inhabited by about 163,000 people and has been experiencing a spike in violent crimes which authorities are blaming on an increase in drug trafficking throughout the island. But police reports show only 34 deaths happened last year, the AP reported.
St. Lucia, an island of about 163,000 people, has seen an increase in violent crimes that authorities blame on drug trafficking. However, police reported 34 killings last year, the lowest in four years.
The St. Lucia Tourist Board released a statement criticizing the attack, saying "as a country, we collectively condemn this random and heinous act of violence," the AP reported.
