Sadly, whilst we will be hearing about Jeffrey Epstein’s depraved criminal exploits for years to come, he will never again have to face his accusers and be held to account.

As we discussed last week, Epstein was found hanging in his lower Manhattan jail cell with a bedsheet wrapped around his neck and secured to the top of a bunk bed.

Initial autopsy results raised some suspicion about the circumstances of his suicide, but on Friday, the New York City medical examiner concluded that Epstein died as a result of suicide by hanging.

Here’s the Washington Post:

Chief Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson [below] issued a terse statement Friday announcing her conclusion: “After careful review of all investigative information, including complete autopsy findings, the determination on the death of Jeffrey Epstein is below — Cause: Hanging. Manner: Suicide.”

She has shared her findings with law enforcement officials, according to people familiar with the matter, but no further details have been disclosed. They, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigations.

The errors of those tasked with guarding Epstein have also been widely discussed, with guards failing to check on him for several hours leading up to his death, after it was made clear that he wasn’t to be left alone and was to be checked on every 30 minutes.

Despite the medical examiner’s finding, Epstein’s legal team isn’t backing down:

“We are not satisfied with the conclusions,” his legal team said in a statement.

“The defense team fully intends to conduct its own independent and complete investigation into the circumstances and cause of Mr. Epstein’s death.”

The lawyers, Martin G. Weinberg, Reid Weingarten and Michael Miller, said they were prepared to sue the government for access to any security video from the time of his death.

I think we would all like to see that security video, thanks.

Talking about videos that some people might wish hadn’t come to light – how about this one, showing Prince Andrew hanging out at Epstein’s New York house back in 2010?

Not a good look.

As Complex points out, Epstein’s team can be excused for asking some questions:

They also question the reported fractures in Epstein’s neck, saying they point toward a possible murder instead of suicide. While those fractures in his neck are found in cases of strangulation, they aren’t entirely unheard of in hangings.

Epstein’s autopsy revealed that his hyoid bone was broken. The small bone near the Adam’s apple can break during strangulation, but is also known to break in hangings. The risk of this bone breaking is stronger in older people who hang themselves. The break still piqued Epstein’s team’s interest…

The billionaire was also allegedly threatened by other inmates prior to his death. All of this adds up to a healthy amount of mistrust in the official story from Epstein’s camp.

The other side of the coin is that if people are talking about any assumed suspicions around Epstein’s suicide, they aren’t talking about his heinous crimes.

There will be a protracted battle for justice, and many claims against Epstein’s estate, in the years to come. Perhaps his legal team reckons that anything that muddies the water in any way will work in their favour.

[sources:washpost&complex]