Brother of Jeffrey Epstein Questions Homicide Ruling, Points to Injuries on Neck

Kos Temenes
By Kos Temenes
February 11, 2024US News
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Brother of Jeffrey Epstein Questions Homicide Ruling, Points to Injuries on Neck
Jeffrey Epstein in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry, on March 28, 2017. (New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services/Handout via Reuters)

Mark Epstein, the brother of convicted child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, described in a recent interview how he went from initially accepting the official ruling that his brother’s death was a suicide to questioning the case of death.

Epstein’s body was discovered in his jail cell in August 2019 after he reportedly hanged himself while awaiting trial.

Mark Epstein remarked during an interview on Feb. 9 that photographs taken of Epstein following his death could contradict the official narrative of suicide by hanging.

The remarks came during an interview with SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly. New York City’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Barbara Sampson, determined at the time that Epstein had committed suicide in his jail cell.

Although a forensic pathologist hired by the family of the disgraced billionaire and trafficker questioned that initial ruling, Dr. Sampson stood firmly behind her conclusion, which Mr. Mark Epstein said he had no reason to doubt initially, despite the pathologist’s objection.

“I had no reason to doubt it. He didn’t have any children. Our parents are gone. He would know he didn’t have to worry about me. … so, I respected that as his decision,” Mr. Mark Epstein said during the interview.

However, he went on to say that upon meeting with medical examiners in New York City at the time, he was informed that his brother’s death could not be called a suicide “because it looked too much like a homicide.”

“So then the questions became if he didn’t commit suicide, then he was killed, and then who killed him? How was it done?” Mr. Mark Epstein continued before presenting photos of his brother’s autopsy.

Ms. Kelly also said she failed to see how the marks on Epstein’s neck—which looked more like a wire or thin rope had been used to strangle him, as opposed to marks from the alleged bed sheet that was reported to be used in the alleged suicide—could match what was conveyed in the official narrative.

“I have a hard time, as a layperson, understanding how a sheet made that mark,” Ms. Kelly said after being presented with the photos. “It’s almost like garrote was used or some sort of rope wire.”

During the interview, Mr. Mark Epstein also pointed out several other inconsistencies, such as the reported malfunction of the security camera outside Epstein’s cell, Epstein’s body having been moved after he was found dead, and Mr. Mark Epstein’s inability to get answers from the government.

The Epstein bothers had been largely estranged since the death of their mother about 15 years ago, only speaking on rare occasions. According to an article published by the Guardian last month, Jeffrey Epstein did not expect to be arrested in 2019, as he believed he was protected under a plea deal 12 years prior, which had granted him immunity. He was found dead in his jail cell less than a month later.

Mark Epstein said afterward that he was not satisfied with the official conclusion about his brother’s death and added that he would like the case to be reinvestigated.

Recently released documents showed multiple high-profile individuals on Jeffrey Epstein’s flight log of his private jet, including billionaire and Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the photographs constitute new evidence. NTD regrets the error.

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