This archive report was first published on 22 November 2019.
Attorney General William P. Barr has shed light on the circumstances surrounding the death of Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of sex trafficking, in a secure federal prison. In an interview published on November 22, 2019, Mr. Barr stated that Epstein's death resulted from 'a perfect storm of screw-ups,' rather than any nefarious act.
Mr. Barr's statement refuted suggestions from members of Epstein's family that he may have been murdered. His remarks came the same week that two prison guards were criminally charged for failing to check on Epstein every half-hour as they were required to and then lying about it on prison logs.
Mr. Barr acknowledged that he, too, was initially suspicious of Epstein's death. He noted that the number of irregularities at the jail, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Epstein was being held awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges, sparked his concerns.
However, investigations by the F.B.I. and the Justice Department's Inspector General have put to rest those suspicions, Mr. Barr said. Instead, he has concluded that Epstein was able to kill himself after a series of human errors by prison officials and guards.
Mr. Barr also stated that the Justice Department was still investigating other aspects of Epstein's death, including why he did not have a cellmate the night he hanged himself, even though he had recently been on a suicide watch. Typically, people at risk of suicide are not housed alone.
On Tuesday, prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging two jail employees, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, who were responsible for guarding Epstein through the night and morning that he died. Federal prosecutors accused the guards of shopping online, browsing the internet, and sleeping while they should have been conducting regular checks of Epstein's cell.
