August 11, 2019 – In Breaking News – CNN

For such a high-profile case involving a wealthy financier with a wide network of powerful friends, the circumstances of Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide at a corrections center in Manhattan raise serious questions.

(Further investigation into his death reveal that jail guards should have checked on him every 30 minutes, but sources say protocol was not followed in the hours before his body was discovered. Courtesy of ABC News and YouTube. Posted on Aug 11, 2019.)

It was only three weeks ago that Epstein, who pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges, was found in his jail cell with marks on his neck.

While it was unclear whether the injuries were the result of self-harm or assault, the incident should have convinced prison officials to remain on high alert, especially given the nature of the charges against Epstein.

Sources told CNN, Epstein was initially placed on suicide watch after he sustained the neck injuries on July 23, but was taken off and cleared by the end of the month to return to the Special Housing Unit (SHU), a place where inmates are sent when they get into trouble or need to be isolated from the general population.

(Accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein died by apparent suicide in his jail cell while in federal custody. His alleged accusers are reacting to the news while the FBI investigates his death. Courtesy of TODAY and YouTube. Posted on Aug 11, 2019.)

Why was Epstein taken off suicide watch so soon?

Why was he not monitored more closely in the SHU where he was held?

And given the nature of the charges against him and the other powerful, high profile individuals whose names have been linked to his case, was this all a mistake or something more nefarious?

(Former FBI agent Chad Jenkins weighs in on the apparent suicide of accused sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein. Courtesy of Fox News and YouTube. Posted on Aug 11, 2019.)

I have represented dozens of people charged with sexual exploitation and similar crimes in federal court.

For defendants facing these charges, it is common for suicide to be a major factor when a judge is considering the conditions of pretrial release or detention.

Former Deputy Attorney General and long-time federal prosecutor Rod Rosenstein tweeted on Saturday, “Detained pedophiles require special attention.”

Pedophiles facing federal criminal charges are at high risk for suicide. It happened in several of my Maryland cases when defendants were released on bail. Detained pedophiles require special attention. Stopping people from harming themselves is difficult. https://t.co/YK4buPXmR9

— Rod Rosenstein (@RodRosenstein) August 10, 2019

The SHU is not a nice place to be.

Inmates are typically isolated from the general inmate population and locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day with little contact with family, friends, or the outside world.

It is an extremely difficult place to serve time, especially if the inmate is already thought to be suicidal.

In fact, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) considers inmates held in the SHU to potentially be at a greater risk of suicide than the general population.

Continue reading… The puzzle around Epstein’s suicide

Epstein’s Cell Not Monitored the Night of his Apparent Suicide

(CNN analysts James Gagliano and Renato Mariotti react to reports that accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was alone in his cell and wasn’t monitored on the night of his apparent suicide. Courtesy of CNN and YouTube. Posted on Aug 11, 2019.)

August 11, 2019 – In Breaking News – CNN

Jeffrey Epstein’s cell was not regularly monitored the night he is believed to have killed himself, a source with knowledge of the accused sex trafficker’s time at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York said Sunday.

Epstein, 66, was in the special housing unit in a cell by himself when he was found dead early Saturday.

He initially had a cellmate, but that person was removed for reasons unknown, the source said.

It’s protocol for inmates coming off suicide watch not to be placed alone in a cell, according to the source.

Protocol within the federal detention center’s Special Housing Unit is for guards to check on inmates every 30 minutes.

If the inmates appear to be asleep, protocol states guards should make sure they’re OK, the source added.

(Mystery surrounds reports that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein tried to kill himself. He was found curled up in a fetal position on the floor of his cell in Manhattan. He had marks on his neck and was reportedly crying and semi-conscious. Epstein is claiming he was beaten up by another inmate and called a child predator. The accused sex offender is awaiting trial on one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty. Courtesy of Inside Edition and YouTube. Posted on Jul 25, 2019.)

If guards falsified documents saying they made rounds when they didn’t, there’s a chance for criminal prosecution, the source said.

The two guards that were at the Special Housing Unit were both on overtime, according to the source.

One was working a mandatory overtime shift. The other was working his fifth overtime shift of the week.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment Sunday.

(Financier Jeffrey Epstein was accused of abusing multiple girls over a number of years and was facing federal sex trafficking charges. Attorney Deborah Blum joined CBSN to discuss. Courtesy of CBS News and YouTube. Posted on Aug 10, 2019.)

No foul play is suspected in Epstein’s death, a federal official told CNN Saturday. The bureau’s release called it “an apparent suicide,” and said the FBI is investigating.

Authorities believe the multimillionaire financier hanged himself, a law enforcement source said.

The New York City medical examiner’s office hasn’t determined his manner of death.

“We are enormously sorry to learn of Jeffrey Epstein’s passing,” Epstein’s defense attorneys said in a statement Sunday.

“No one should die in jail. We cannot confirm rumors as to his cause of death, and we trust that the United States Attorney’s Office and the United States Marshals will thoroughly investigate the circumstances of this tragedy.”

Epstein had been jailed since early July, when he pleaded not guilty to charges by New York federal prosecutors after an indictment accused him of running a sex trafficking ring of underage girls, some as young as 14.

(Arick Fudali, a victim’s rights attorney at the The Bloom Firm, which represents some of Epstein’s alleged victims, Fudali spoke to CBSN about his clients’ reaction to the news. Courtesy of CBS News and YouTube. Posted on Aug 10, 2019.)

Continue reading… Source: Jeffrey Epstein’s cell was not monitored the night of his apparent suicide