Prison guards assigned to monitor Jeffrey Epstein on the night he apparently killed himself fell asleep and failed to check on him for three hours before falsifying records to cover up their neglect, according to officials.
The two guards have been placed on leave and the warden of New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Centre (MCC) has been reassigned as federal authorities investigate the financier’s death, the Justice Department has announced.
It comes amid mounting evidence of failures at the chronically understaffed prison which allowed the 66-year-old to take his own life as he awaited trial on charges of sexually abusing teenage girls.
Epstein, who had attempted to take his own life in July, was taken off a suicide watch last month for reasons that have not been explained and should have been checked on by a guard every 30 minutes.
Investigators have learned those checks were not done for three hours before he was found hanged at 6.30am on Saturday, according to a person familiar with the case.
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NowThatsInteresting ago
It’s a narrative the media are pushing right now, as if he died because of these two guards not paying attention. If one believes this story then one has to believe he hung himself as well. No way, at least in my opinion.
TestForScience ago
I think it's their fallback because they can't change public opinion to "Trump did it."
NowThatsInteresting ago
Did Trump actually make any statements regarding Epstein death?
TestForScience ago
Nothing more than tweets, I believe.