Exploring the Death of Jeffrey Epstein
Introduction.
Jeffrey Epstein, billionaire turned predator, stirred up a few conspiracy theories when he was found dead in his prison cell on August 10th, 2019 (Department of Justice [DOJ]). Jeffrey Epstein ran a business worth fifteen billion with a list of secret clientele that was exposed once Epstein was facing indictment of multiple charges of trafficking women even as young as fourteen and engaging in sexual acts with them. Before he could face the court to see if he would be found guilty, he was found dead in his cell. It is said that Epstein committed suicide by hanging himself with a noose made from one of his prison appointed shirts (DOJ). Since his death, a few conspiracies have formed:
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Did Epstein commit suicide to escape the possible forty five years of federal prison he was facing?
2. Was Epstein murdered for all of the possible dirt he had on the list of millionaires and billionaires he managed?
The most plausible explanation is that Jeffrey Epstein, unable to cope with the realities of federal prison life, may have made the decision to end his life to avoid facing the inevitable consequences of his pending sentencing. Let’s explore the reasoning behind this perspective.
Who Was Jeffrey Epstein?
Born January 20, 1953, Jeffrey was an American financier who amassed a multimillionaire fortune through his lucrative financial career. Using his intelligence, charisma, and manipulation skills, he built a social circle that included royalty, high profile politicians, and extremely wealthy people. Jeffrey grew up in Brooklyn, New York, as the firstborn of two children . Jeffrey and his brother were born to Jewish immigrants, Paula Epstein and Seymour Epstein (Goodman). The Epstein’s struggled financially and could only afford necessities, which seemed to make Jeffrey harbor resentment for his poor upbringing.
Although he grew up quite poor and did not go to the greatest school, Jeffrey was impressively intelligent. “Epstein had one notable resource. By all accounts, he was smart. A natural math whiz who skipped a couple grades. A piano virtuoso.” (Goodman). Jeffrey’s intelligence was the one thing that remained constant and consistent for him regardless of his environment. Despite his intelligence, he had a hard time with girls. Growing up Jeffrey was chubby, pale, and awkward looking. He had to learn to charm in order to manipulate situations in his favor (Goodman). As a child, his lack of satisfaction regarding his looks made him lean into other tactics to achieve a means to an end. Just his natural intelligence and charm alone was able to open doors in spaces most people growing up poor could not even fathom.
Jeffrey had a charisma to him that made it easy for him to covertly maneuver his way into jobs and positions. As an adult, his new polished demeanor, paired with his head full of hair and defined jawline, seemed to also give him additional privileges for jobs without proper requirements (See schedule A, schedule B). Jeffrey never graduated college, but he was still able to secure a teaching position at Dalton Private located in Manhattan, New York, where he taught until he was ultimately fired due to lack of growth within his position. Even though Jeffrey had not impressed the school officials, he had impressed one particular student's father. He told Epstein directly, "Why are you teaching math at Dalton? You should be working on Wall Street. Why don't you call my friend Ace Greenberg?" (Thomas n.d.-a). The dad found Jeffrey charming, personable, and smart. After a brief stint in academia, Epstein transitioned into finance. Epstein's networking and manipulative skills enabled him to rise quickly through the ranks despite lacking formal qualifications in finance. By using his connections, he built a multimillion dollar fortune.
Jeffrey was notorious for his manipulative tendencies. Epstein had risen to the top of his profession by a combination of charm and deception. Hoffenburg stated, “he could really interpret weaknesses. He was the best seducer of people, the biggest manipulator I ever saw” (Goodman). He was prepared to lie to obtain what he desired and use dubious methods to influence people in powerful positions into giving him a significant sum of money and authority. However, that was not enough for him; he desired more. Jeffrey seemed to have this insatiable desire to want more money and power. No matter how many times he moved up in his career, it was never enough. No matter how much money he made, he was never satisfied. There was no door that he wasn’t willing to walk through to get just what he wanted. It seemed as if Jeffrey was over compensating for his internal conflict regarding his resentment of his childhood, because he grew up poor.
Jeffrey Epstein’s life is a complex exchange of intelligence, charisma, and manipulation, ultimately leading to a fall from grace involving serious criminal activities. Coming from a challenging childhood to the highest of financial success, Jeffrey’s ability to charm and network with influential people allowed him to build a persona that masked the darker aspects of his reality. Those very same characteristics that fueled his rapid ascent to success, would be the same characteristics that led to his downfall. His pursuit of power and influence distorted his values, and ultimately led to his demise.
Schedule A:
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Schedule B:
Conspiracy Theories.
Concerning the circumstances of Jeffrey Epstein's death, two conspiracy theories have emerged. The first one suggests that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself to escape the gravity of his consequences. The second suggests that Epstein may have been murdered for the potentially damaging information he had regarding the wealthy individuals he was connected to.
The most accepted consensus would be theory one which suggests that Jeffrey killed himself to escape his prison sentence. Jeffrey Epstein was found dead and hanging in his prison cell on August 10, 2019, at approximately 6:30 a.m.. Before his death, he had a prior suicide attempt on July 9, 2019, which led him to put on strict monitoring along with an assigned cellmate. After being denied bail by the courts just a week prior, Jeffrey was found in his room on July 23, 2019, with an orange cloth around his neck and unconscious (Department of Justice [DOJ]). He was having difficulty coming to terms with the gravity of his situation. Despite being evaluated on multiple occasions by different psychologists he was never deemed suicidal because most felt he did not meet the markers. However, Jeffrey hated prison and was having difficulty coping with the gravity of his situation. He believed he did not deserve to be incarcerated for the allegations against him. He faced the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence of up to 45 years if convicted of his crimes. According to Sheriff Bradshaw, "Epstein was incredulous over the treatment he was receiving. He was astonished that he had gone to prison at all. Let's just say he didn't think he belonged there." (Patterson and Connolly 199). Despite facing multiple allegations of sexual assault, Epstein maintained a conviction that he did not belong in prison. This theory makes the most sense because he was so upset over his circumstances, that he would probably do almost anything to escape them. The fact that he was found unconscious and with an orange cloth around his neck just one week after being denied bail is proof of why this theory works. Bail was not going to be an option because it was denied and he could not escape because he was heavily monitored and high profile. Suicide probably felt like the only solution to his "problem" at the time.
The second theory that many people believe is that Jeffrey did not kill himself; rather, he may have been murdered to prevent him from uncovering compromising information about the numerous influential figures with whom he was connected. Virginia Roberts claimed "Epstein ‘lent’ her and other young girls to prominent businessmen, important politicians, world leaders, and other powerful men to ‘ingratiate’ himself with them for personal, political, and financial gain, as well as to obtain blackmail information." (Patterson and Connolly 241). Jeffrey possessed information on individuals who might go to great lengths to protect their reputations and evade potential legal repercussions. As stated earlier, Jeffrey was not considered suicidal by prison psychologists even though he had multiple suicide attempts. To prevent further incidents, he was placed in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) and was to be heavily monitored and provided an assigned cellmate to keep as many eyes on him as possible. In conjunction, he was only allowed to have a certain amount of linen and clothing in his cell at a time. The prison fell short of these protocols and Jeffrey was able to harbor multiple pairs of linen and clothing at the time of his death the surveillance cameras in the prison were experiencing a malfunction so limited footage was available. In addition to that, Jeffrey had not been assigned a new cellmate since he was transferred just one day before his death (DOJ). Many feel that all of these incidents are oddly convenient and do not seem coincidental. The cameras were down, he had excessive linen in his cell, his cellmate was transferred just one day earlier, multiple psychologists said that he was not suicidal, and he had compromising evidence on high profile individuals. All of this information put together leads some to speculate that he was murdered and it was staged as a suicide by someone Jeffrey had possibly been blackmailing for his benefit. However, this theory does not work simply because there is not enough evidence to back it up. The lapse in proper protocol could just be due to lazy employees and the camera malfunction could be that, a camera malfunction. Jeffrey had multiple suicide attempts prior; he had already shown that if he was not watched carefully he would take his own life and that is what he did.
Jefferey never felt as if he belonged in prison and was willing to do whatever it took to get out. Which ultimately led to his death when all other avenues began to close for him. A combination of lack of proper protocol and a man who was probably going to spend the rest of his life in a cell being monitored twenty four hours a day. The death of Jeffrey Epstein is labeled today as death by suicide (DOJ).
Conclusion.
The conspiracy theories surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s death raise important questions about whether he took his own life to escape the consequences of his actions or if he was murdered to protect powerful individuals from exposure. Although there is some enjoyment in discussing the possibilities of conspiracy theories, the evidence seems to support the idea that Epstein likely committed suicide. His documented struggles with the reality of imprisonment, added with his prior suicide attempts, point to a man struggling with guilt, fear, and shame over his nearing fate. The circumstances of his death, like the prison’s failure to follow proper protocols, might just be a result of negligence rather than a cover up. A once intelligent and charismatic man found himself in a situation, despite all his efforts, he could not escape. While the conspiracy theories will probably continue, the facts show a desperate man at war with his mental state and the loss of his life as a result. A reminder that a life built on crime, manipulation, and malicious intent can lead to major consequences. His story is a complex combination of fame, scandal, and tragedy leaving us to think deeply about privilege and accountability as a society.