Today, accused billionaire financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, 66, is reported to have hanged himself in his cell in New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center.

Epstein’s story broke back into the headlines in July, after Manhattan federal prosecutors indicted Mr. Epstein with a raft of new charges, including the trafficking of girls as young as 14. He had pleaded not guilty, but a federal judge had denied request for bail or to be released under house arrest.

However, today’s latest shocking development comes immediately on the heels of something much more crucial: only in the last 48 hours, a large trove of unsealed document released regarding Epstein’s sex trafficking case – documents which name names, many famous and powerful names. Documents pertain to the deposition of victim Virginia Giuffre, which tells the story of how Epstein and close associate Ghislaine Maxwell kept Roberts as a sex slave for two years, pimping her out for “massages” and sex with powerful men. As a result, additional excruciating details came into public view regarding victims’ accusations claiming to involve a number of Epstein’s close elite associates including of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Prince Andrew the Duke of York, former US Senator George Mitchell, financier Glenn Dubin, French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, and the deceased MIT and leading A.I. scientist Marvin Minsky.

It is unclear how Epstein’s death will affect the overall prosecution going forward, and with so many high-profile persons now attached to this scandal, it’s clear that there are many powerful and well-connected individuals and institutions who would like nothing more than to see this case buried.

According to the New York Times, the Federal Bureau of Prisons would not immediately respond to their requests for comment. However, according to initial reports by ABC News, the exact time of death is unclear.

A previous suicide attempt was reported two weeks ago but the details were murky, and critics accused him of orchestrating a ‘stunt’ to gain sympathy and release under house arrest.

Back in 2008, he conveniently avoided any federal criminal charges after prosecutors brokered a controversial “sweetheart” deal which allowed Epstein to plea bargain and serve only 13 months in jail, and more importantly – which granted immunity to any co-conspirators named in the case. Other high-profile persons named in the course that investigation, as well as the subsequent release of Epstein’s flight logs to his private Caribbean Island, included former US President Bill Clinton, and celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz.

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