Former Guard Tells House Panel Epstein Death Was Suicide

A former corrections officer who was on duty at the Metropolitan Corrections Center when Jeffrey Epstein died in 2019 told House Oversight Committee members Monday that she believes he killed himself. The officer, who said she was the last person to see Epstein alive, spoke in a closed-door interview with lawmakers and staff from the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

She told them she reached her conclusion because no one else was in the cell at the time.

Lawmakers who attended the interview said the former guard described Epstein receiving extra bed linens, a CPAP machine and medications that other inmates did not receive. The former guard also addressed cash deposits totaling $12,000 that she received between April 2018 and July 2019, including one shortly before Epstein's death.

She told lawmakers the transfers had nothing to do with Epstein. She further stated that she believes her firing after the incident was unfair and that she would still have her job if the inmate had been anyone other than Epstein.

Committee Reactions Rep.

Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia said he fully believes Epstein died by suicide but added that questions remain about how he was able to do so. He noted the special treatment Epstein received, including extra linens that were later used in the suicide.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico said the testimony and other information pointed to a poorly run prison where staff worked long shifts and overtime and where protocols were not followed. >"I fully believe he committed suicide, but how he was able to commit suicide, there are open questions about that.

" — Rep. 10, 2019, while awaiting federal sex trafficking charges. The Justice Department and New York medical examiner ruled the death a suicide. m. the previous evening. The former guard was charged in 2019 with falsifying records to show required checks had been performed.

Those charges were later dropped as part of a deal with prosecutors. Grand jury transcripts released earlier this year showed the FBI examined her bank records and found no evidence of a bribe.