What We Really Know About Jeffrey Epstein’s Death

Immediately after Jeffrey Epstein's apparent suicide last weekend, conspiracy theories took off, with competing hashtags, like #EpsteinMurder, #ClintonBodyCount, and #TrumpBodyCount, trending on Twitter. Even some prominent politicians, journalists, and media commentators, like MSNBC host Joe Scarborough and former Missouri senator Claire McCaskill, speculated about nefarious causes for Epstein's death, while reporters who covered criminal justice pushed back on those narratives, asserting that suicide, even while under watch, was common in prisons.

No matter what the circumstances of his death, Epstein's life already had all the elements to suggest he was part of a shadowy cabal, from his lavish, private-island-owning lifestyle to the abhorrent details of his alleged sex-trafficking ring and his connections to powerful and rich figures like Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Donald Trump. The day before his death, a court unsealed 2,000 pages of legal documents that implicated not only Epstein, but some of his prominent friends, including some newer names, like former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson.

More information about Epstein's death is slowly becoming public, and it seems like suspicion is only going to rise. Take, for example, the details of his autopsy, reported in The Washington Post: Epstein, who hung himself with a bed sheet in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Manhattan, reportedly had broken neck bones.

It's important to keep fact straight from fiction as Epstein's death quickly launches JFK-esque conspiracies. Here's what we actually know.

Autopsy

As The Washington Post reports, Epstein's autopsy revealed a broken hyoid bone, which is near the Adam's apple in men. These types of breaks are more common in victims of homicide by strangulation, but they can occur in people who hang themselves, especially if they're older. Still, Barbara Sampson, New York City’s chief medical examiner, told the Post, “In all forensic investigations, all information must be synthesized to determine the cause and manner of death. Everything must be consistent; no single finding can be evaluated in a vacuum.” Still, his cause of death is "forthcoming."

Taken off suicide watch

Epstein reportedly tried to commit suicide in late July, shortly after a federal judge denied him bail out of concern that he was a flight risk. He was taken off suicide watch six days later, which, as the Associated Press reports, is typical since long-term suicide watch is logistically difficult and considered inhumane.

Former cellmate

Epstein claimed that the injuries that landed him on suicide watch in the first place were caused by his cellmate, an ex-cop named Nicholas Tartaglione, who was indicted for murder. Tartaglione's lawyer disputed that account. “I spoke to his lawyers, and they never hinted at that to me, but he must have said something to get off suicide watch,” said Bruce Barket. “I do know that Nick was not brought up on any charges at all in the institution, so they cleared him.”

Alone in his cell

The night of Epstein's death, he was reportedly alone in his cell after staff moved his cellmate, according to The New York Times. Typically, inmates who are a suicide risk aren't left alone, even if they aren't on suicide watch.

Sleeping guards

The two guards responsible for monitoring Epstein every half hour were reportedly asleep for "some or all of the three hours" before his death, as The New York Times reports, and they allegedly falsified records to cover up that fact. Like many jails and prisons across the country, MCC is dramatically short-staffed, and one of the guards was on a fifth straight day of overtime, while the other was working mandatory overtime.

Last words

According to the New York Post, Epstein's last meeting with his lawyers just hours before his death was quite upbeat. He claimed he was in "great spirits" and told one of his lawyers, "I’ll see you Sunday."

In light of the new legal scrutiny of Jeffrey Epstein, it’s time to re-examine all the sexual misconduct allegations against the president.

Originally Appeared on GQ