- The federal indictment of the two guards who were supposed to be monitoring Jeffrey Epstein the night he died reveals new information about the circumstances of his death.
- The document says internal surveillance footage shows no one entered or even approached Epstein's cell on the night before his unresponsive body was discovered.
- Previously, it was unclear whether there was any security footage of Epstein's cell. The Washington Post reported that investigators deemed footage from one camera outside the cell unusable.
- At around 6:30 a.m. on August 10, the guards discovered Epstein's unresponsive body. Epstein had died by suicide, according to the indictment and New York City's chief medical examiner.
- The new information concerning the surveillance from the indictment deals a serious blow to the popular conspiracy theory that Epstein was murdered or that he did not kill himself.
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A new indictment of the two guards tasked with monitoring Jeffrey Epstein the night he died by suicide provides new evidence that further contradicts the popular conspiracy theory that the disgraced financier was murdered.
The federal indictment says that internal surveillance footage at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, the jail where Epstein was awaiting trial, shows that no one entered or even approached his cell in the eight hours leading up to the discovery of his unresponsive body.
The details were included in charges filed against the two guards on duty that night, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas. US Attorneys at the Southern District of New York allege that the two failed to perform mandated checks on the prisoners under their supervision and then falsified records to say they did.
According to the indictment, video footage shows that Epstein was escorted to his cell at 7:49 p.m. on August 9. At 10 p.m., officers were supposed to perform a mandated count on the cells.
Instead, they signed a slip falsely claiming a check had been performed. At 10:30 p.m., Noel "briefly walked up to, then walked back from, the door to the tier in which Epstein was housed," according to the indictment, which cites the surveillance footage.
"This was the last time anyone, including any correctional officer, walked up to, let alone entered, the only entrance to the tier in which Epstein was housed until approximately 6:30 a.m. on August 10," the indictment reads.
Noel and Thomas additionally failed to conduct counts at 12 a.m., 3 a.m., and 5 a.m., according to the indictment, but the two still submitted signed count slips that stated they did. The Control Center at the facility cleared the signed slips soon after each was submitted.
In addition, the indictment states that neither guard performed the rounds that they were supposed to complete every 30 minutes between midnight and 6 a.m.
The indictment reiterates the autopsy results completed by New York City's chief medical examiner that concludes Epstein died by suicide.
There's no evidence that Epstein died by anything other than suicide
The pervasive conspiracy theory that Epstein did not kill himself revolves around the idea that either someone entered Epstein's cell — something the Justice Department is now officially saying did not happen, based on security camera footage — or that Noel and Thomas were paid off to not monitor Epstein.
Early reports from The Washington Post said that investigators found footage from one camera outside the late financier's cell to be unusable, although it did not specify why. The Justice Department now seems to have that footage.
In addition, a secondary autopsy performed by a forensic pathologist hired by Epstein's brother concluded that the bones broken in Epstein's neck were more indicative of strangling than hanging. (Officials say he used a bedsheet to hang himself from his bunk.) But other medical authorities have said that the same bones could be broken either way.
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If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or has had thoughts of harming themself or taking their own life, get help. In the US, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress, as well as best practices for professionals and resources to aid in prevention and crisis situations. Help is also available through the Crisis Text Line — just text "HOME" to 741741. The International Association for Suicide Prevention offers resources for those outside the US.
