Jeffrey Epstein death: New York Times investigation points to suicide and jail lapses

A new in‑depth investigation by the New York Times, based on more than 40 interviews with lawyers, prison staff, inmates and forensic experts, as well as court and prison records, argues that the official ruling of suicide in Jeffrey Epstein’s August 2019 death is more likely than murder. The report highlights that Epstein had repeatedly expressed suicidal intentions while in custody. Cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione, a former police officer serving a murder sentence, said Epstein asked him how to make a noose, attempted to attach a sheet to a cell window, and had a makeshift ligature found under his mattress. Tartaglione says guards dismissed his warnings. Additional accounts describe Epstein’s distress notes and inconsistent explanations after he was found hanging. The Times’ findings suggest a dramatic failure by prison officials to protect and monitor Epstein during the 35 days between his arrest in New York and his death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.