Jeffrey Epstein commits suicide at Manhattan Jail, officials say
NEW YORK — Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who was long dogged by accusations of sexual abuse of girls and who was able to cultivate a stream of high-profile friends despite his lurid lifestyle, killed himself in his Manhattan jail cell, officials said Saturday.
Epstein hanged himself, the officials said. He was found at roughly 6:30 a.m. Saturday at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement.
Last month, a week after being denied bail on federal sex trafficking charges, Epstein was found unconscious in his cell at the jail with marks on his neck. Prison officials had been investigating that incident as a possible suicide attempt.
Epstein had been on suicide watch after he was found injured on July 23 and received a daily psychiatric evaluation, according to a person familiar with his detention. He was removed from suicide watch on July 29 and returned to the special housing unit, a segregated area of the prison with extra security, this person said.
The authorities did not immediately explain why he was taken off suicide watch. The FBI said it was investigating, and Attorney General William Barr said in a statement that a special inquiry would be opened into what had happened.
“I was appalled to learn that Jeffrey Epstein was found dead early this morning from an apparent suicide while in federal custody,” Barr said. “Mr. Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered. In addition to the FBI’s investigation, I have consulted with the Inspector General who is opening an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Epstein’s death.”
Manhattan federal prosecutors last month charged Epstein, 66, with sex trafficking of girls as young as 14. The indictment renewed attention toward how Epstein — who had opulent homes, a private jet and access to elite circles — had escaped severe punishment in an earlier investigation into his abuse of girls more than a decade ago in Florida.
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First, Attorney General William Barr initially recused himself from the Jeffrey Epstein case. It is a fact that Bill Barr's father, Donald Barr, gave the unlicensed, college dropout Epstein his first job- as a teacher of physics to young coeds at the elite Dalton private school in NYC.
Then there are the troubling questions surrounding the continued lack of details regarding Epstein's first 'suicide attempt,' that also implied attempted strangulation, on July 23. Why was he removed from suicide watch so soon, especially when facing the specific charges released against him this past Friday? Where are the details regarding his 'suicide,' which was originally reported as "cardiac arrest," when reporters on 24/7 standby captured photos of Epstein being rushed out of Manhattan Correctional Center on a gurney. If there are 24/7 security time stamped digital recordings available from MCC of Epstein's suicide and removal they could put an end to the speculation. If there are no records, this would be truly troubling and demand investigation due to the serious sets of facts involved.
President Trump re-tweeting troll speculation trying to implicate the Clintons when it is Trump who is Chief Executive, appointed Barr, and the federal prison system, is truly jaw dropping. The public has a right to be deeply, seriously concerned.