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Suicide (non-)watch: What we know about Jeffrey Epstein’s death…and what we don’t
from RT:
The apparent suicide of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein immediately spawned allegations of prison negligence and even murder – and no wonder, given the confusing, scarce data available. Here’s what we know.
It’s been confirmed that Epstein was found dead in his cell in the special housing unit of New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center on Saturday morning at around 6:30am EST.
‘Apparent suicide’
Lifesaving measures were “initiated immediately by responding staff,” and Epstein was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the Bureau of Prisons said on Saturday. The Bureau called his death an “apparent suicide,”althought an investigation has yet to determine this conclusively.
A number of officials told media outlets that Epstein had hanged himself in his cell, but no one, at the time of writing, has confirmed this publicly.
If Epstein’s death is still under investigation, and no one can explain yet how he killed himself, why is mainstream media reporting it definitively as a suicide? Even the FBI is calling it an “apparent suicide.” https://t.co/GRnz3ob94f pic.twitter.com/BHDF3tAShs
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 10, 2019
An FBI investigation has also been opened, and Attorney General William Barr later announced a Justice Department probe into Epstein’s death, which he also called an “apparent suicide.”
JUST IN: Attorney General Bill Barr on Jeffrey Epstein: “I was appalled to learn that Jeffrey Epstein was found dead early this morning from an apparent suicide while in federal custody. Mr. Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered.” https://t.co/FDocDgKcXQ pic.twitter.com/j4uisPpCgJ
— ABC News (@ABC) August 10, 2019
The 66-year-old, a convicted pedophile, had been held at the New York prison since his arrest last month on child sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. He pled not guilty to the charges, which carried a penalty of up to 45 years in prison.
Was he on suicide watch?
At the time of his death, Epstein was rumored to have been on suicide watch. According to Bureau of Prisons policy, inmates on suicide watch are to be kept under “direct, continuous observation,” in a room that allows “unobstructed vision of the inmate at all times.”
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