(Stephanie Keith / Stringer / Getty Images)
While Ricky Gervais was ripping Hollywood a new one Sunday night on NBC, CBS was dropping truth bombs (and some pretty disgusting autopsy photos) on ’60 Minutes’ related to Jeffrey Epstein’s death – a suicide that several high-ranking government officials believe was a homicide.
Fun Forensic Facts for Kids:
- In July 2019, Jeffrey Epstein, already a convicted sex offender, was arrested and charged with sex trafficking by federal prosecutors.
- On August 10, Epstein was found dead in his federal jail cell at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center.
- In 1985, Austrian rockstar Falco records… “Rock Me, Amadeus.”
- In late August of 2019, the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Epstein’s death a suicide by hanging.
- John Milner was killed by a drunk driver in 1964.
- On January 5, 2019, Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist who observed the four-hour autopsy on behalf of Epstein’s brother, Mark, tells ’60 Minutes’ the evidence released so far points more to murder than suicide.
Dr. Baden told ’60 Minutes’ that the unusual fractures he saw in Epstein’s neck were the main tipoff.
“There were fractures of the left, the right thyroid cartilage and the left hyoid bone,” Baden told ’60 Minutes.’ “I have never seen three fractures like this in a suicidal hanging.”
“Going over a thousand jail hangings, suicides in the New York City state prisons over the past 40-50 years, no one had three fractures,” Baden said.
’60 Minutes’ also debuted pictures of a note found in Epstein’s cell that listed complaints about prison conditions, including “Kept me in a locked shower stall for 1 hr,” “sent me burnt food” and “Giant bugs crawling over my hands. NO FUN!!”
Awe, gee! That sounds rough, Jeff! Would you like to know what usually happens to convicted sex offenders who prey on children? Here’s a hint: it rhymes with “daily sessions of brutal anal rape with a broomstick.” Spare us the gripes about your steak being overcooked.
Epstein was directing money to be deposited in other inmates’ commissary accounts in exchange for protection, sources say, because he feared for his life. But the government says Epstein was suicidal and made his first, failed suicide attempt weeks after he arrived at MCC.
According to a federal indictment, on July 23 Epstein was found “on the floor of his cell with a strip of bedsheet around his neck.” The government says it was a failed suicide attempt, but Epstein claimed his cellmate, 52-year-old former police officer Nick Tartaglione, attacked him. Tartaglione, who is accused of murdering four men, denied that and his lawyer says: “Absolutely nothing like that happened.” His lawyer also says Tartaglione was cleared by jail officials.
Epstein was put on suicide watch after the incident, but one week later, “at the direction of the MCC’s psychological staff,” he was taken off suicide watch and “required to have an assigned cellmate.”
Epstein was moved back to his old unit and assigned a new cellmate, but the night before his death, Epstein’s cellmate was released. According to court documents, “no new cellmate was assigned” before he died, even though he was required to have one.
That night, federal prosecutors say, “Epstein was escorted into his cell by Tova Noel at approximately 7:49 p.m.” Noel and Michael Thomas, the two guards who were working the overnight shift in Epstein’s unit, allegedly didn’t check on him again until “shortly after 6:30 a.m.” the next morning.
The two guards have been charged with falsifying documents and conspiracy to defraud the federal government. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Here’s the full video from ’60 Minutes’ with Dr. Michael Baden:
Still can’t get enough dead pics of Jeffrey Epstein? For post-mortem enthusiasts, check out “Sadistic Slideshow Presentation: The Jeffrey Epstein Edition.”
WIBC’s Hammer and Nigel have carefully edited pertinent audio selections from Sunday’s ’60 Minutes’ expose in the clip below. Grab the kids and take a listen together as a family.
By the way, has anybody seen where we stashed the Swifter?
