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Surveillance footage from night of Epstein suicide attempt goes missing

Jeffrey Epstein died on August 10. Footage from the night of his first suicide attempt, on July 23, is missing - New York State Sex Offender Registry
Jeffrey Epstein died on August 10. Footage from the night of his first suicide attempt, on July 23, is missing - New York State Sex Offender Registry

Footage from surveillance cameras monitoring Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell has gone missing, prosecutors have admitted, in the latest twist of the scandal surrounding his life and death.

The footage in question was from the night of his first suspected suicide attempt inside a Manhattan jail, on July 23.

He was found dead inside a different cell in the same jail on August 10.

Epstein’s cell mate, Nick Tartaglione, a former policeman accused of quadruple murder, claimed to have saved Epstein’s life after the suicide attempt. Epstein reportedly claimed that Tartaglione, a bodybuilder, attacked him.

On July 25 Tartaglione’s lawyers requested the surveillance camera footage, hoping that it would bolster his argument that he is of good character.

Epstein
The MCC, where Epstein died

But on Wednesday Jason Swergold, assistant US attorney, told a court in White Plains, New York, that no one can find the footage from July 23.

Bruce Barket, Tartaglione’s lawyer, said the disappearance of the footage was concerning.

“It is on the surface troubling,” he said. “I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve found out more details.”

Judge Kenneth Karas asked the government to investigate what happened to the footage.

Epstein’s eventual death, just over a fortnight later, remains the subject of much fascination and conspiracy theories.

New York City’s chief medical examiner ruled that he died by suicide, but many victims remained suspicious, believing that plenty of wealthy and high-powered people wanted him dead.

Epstein’s own lawyers said in court that they were sceptical about the verdict of suicide, and a pathologist hired by Epstein’s brother Mark said he believed that Epstein was murdered in his cell.

William Barr, the attorney general, was furious that one of America’s most high-profile prisoners was able to take his own life, and launched an immediate inquiry.

The warden of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan was reassigned, and two officers on duty the night he died, who fell asleep while they were supposed to be monitoring him, have been charged with neglecting their duties and falsifying records.

But last month Mr Barr concluded that Epstein had indeed died by suicide. He said that he had personally reviewed the surveillance footage surrounding his cell on the night of August 10, and saw that from 10:30pm to 6:30am no one entered or left the area.

Epstein was discovered when guards went to bring him breakfast.

Mr Barr said the paedophile financier’s death was the result of “a perfect storm of screw-ups”.