Why Ghislaine Maxwell Is Suspicious About Jeffrey Epstein's Death
The following article includes references to suicide and sexual assault.
Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier charged with sex trafficking, died by suicide in 2019, but to this day, doubts still linger about the circumstances surrounding his passing. Even Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former partner who is serving time behind bars for facilitating his sexual exploitation of underage girls, remains skeptical. She continues to harbor suspicions about Epstein's death, whether it was truly self-inflicted or perhaps the result of foul play. It was on August 10, 2019, when the disgraced financier was found unresponsive inside his cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.
At the time, he was facing up to 45 years in prison for operating a sex ring on his private island involving underage women and many of his high-profile friends. He was discovered with a noose fashioned out of a bedsheet around his neck and was brought to New York Downtown Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Chief medical examiner Dr. Barbara Sampson concluded that Epstein indeed died by suicide, confirming in a statement that his official cause of death was determined "after careful review of all investigative information, including complete autopsy findings," (via AP News).
A June 2023 report from the U.S. Department of Justice also found that there was "no criminality" surrounding Epstein's death. Still, ironically, a poll conducted by Insider revealed that nearly half of Americans surveyed speculated that he might have been murdered, a belief seemingly shared by Maxwell herself.
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Maxwell believes Jeffrey Epstein was murdered
Ghislaine Maxwell still can't wrap her head around the fact that Jeffrey Epstein decided to end his own life. In an interview on "Jeremy Kyle Live," the former socialite admitted that she found Epstein's demise "profoundly suspicious," as the financier had previously resolved to fight his legal battles and seemed determined to overcome his imprisonment. Maxwell didn't think he even had any suicidal thoughts, leading her to suspect foul play.
"I believe that he was murdered," she stated firmly, adding, "Then I wondered how it had happened because [...] I was sure he was going to appeal. And I was sure he was covered under the non-prosecution agreement." Her doubts were partially fueled by what she perceives as the Bureau of Prison's incompetency, claiming in a separate interview, "I've never been lied to so many times as I have at that detention center," (via The Sun). Maxwell continued by asserting, "It was a culture of untruth, a culture of disrespect that frankly needs to be brought to light."
Intriguingly, the former socialite isn't the only person with a previous connection to Epstein who believes that he was murdered. In 2019, Donald Trump, who was also a friend of Epstein's, retweeted a post from conservative media personality Terrence K. Williams, who insinuated that the Clintons were liable for his death. "Died of SUICIDE on 24/7 SUICIDE WATCH ? Yeah right! How does that happen, I see #TrumpBodyCount trending but we know who did this! RT if you're not Surprised #EpsteinSuicide #ClintonBodyCount #ClintonCrimeFamily," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The conspiracy theory surrounding Epstein's death
Ghislaine Maxwell's speculations about Jeffrey Epstein's death aren't entirely unfounded. According to The New York Times, Epstein had gone through several psychological evaluations before he died, with a doctor noting that he "adamantly denied any suicidal ideation, intention or plan." Despite attempting suicide in July 2019, where he was found in his cell with an improvised noose, which then triggered a suicide watch, the inmate consistently reiterated that he loved his life and was not trying to end it.
Epstein did die by apparent suicide a month after his initial attempt, but the circumstances surrounding it still raised questions. Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist who was present during his autopsy, told "60 Minutes" that Epstein's injuries were not consistent with the conclusion that he died by suicide. "There were fractures of the left, the right thyroid cartilage and the left hyoid bone," he said (via CBS News). "I have never seen three fractures like this in a suicidal hanging." Despite these conflicting accounts, the Justice Department maintained that there was no foul play.
Instead, they concluded that Epstein's abrupt passing was a result of severe oversight by the prison staff. "The combination of negligence, misconduct, and outright job performance failures documented in this report all contributed to an environment in which arguably one of the BOP's most notorious inmates was provided with the opportunity to take his own life," the June 2023 report read.
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