Jeffrey Epstein Dies of Apparent Suicide Awaiting Trial for Sex Trafficking
The Primary: Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell in New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center’s Special Housing Unit.
Who? What? Why?: The financier was awaiting trial for alleged sexual abuse of dozens of girls. Attorney General William Barr asked the FBI to open an additional investigation into Epstein’s death.
The Baseline: Epstein was previously under suicide watch, but for reasons unclear, he was not at the time of his death. Barr says there were "serious irregularities” at the federal jail where Epstein was located.
From the Left: The editorial Board of the NYT thinks even though Epstein is dead, his victims deserve justice. "[Epstein's] premature death shouldn’t stop law enforcement authorities from finishing the job that they finally took up seriously years after they should have," writes the board. They also believe Epstein’s history in court indicates a broken justice system that favors the powerful at the expense of the weak. "At first glance, the Epstein saga looks like another example of how justice is not, in fact, blind — of how it tilts toward the powerful at the expense of the vulnerable," it reads.
From the Right: The editorial board of the WSJ wants the results of the investigation into Epstein's death to be made public. The suicide "couldn’t have been scripted better to undermine trust" in our legal systems, the board writes. Why wasn't Epstein on suicide watch?