Of course Epstein cheated his victims, those who love them, and in another important way society, the closure that a trial and his incarceration would have provided.
Hopefully his enablers, including those who availed himself of his procurement “services” will be both exposed and when appropriate have their day in court.
We don’t have much information beyond that he was on suicide watch in his own cell. This meant he wasn’t under constant observation.
What is probable is that he suffered for a period of time before he passed out and then died. Suicide by strangulation takes more time than suicide by hanging.
The most common methods of suicide, for a number of reasons, are hanging and strangulation, and the most common ligature points for strangulation are window bars, followed by bed fittings. Inmates spend most of their time alone in their cell, where they have access to bedsheets, time, and privacy. Inmates also use wires, ropes (usually taken from a workplace), shoelaces, socks, or belts. The most typical regiment for strangulation involves propping oneself up on a stool or chair, tying a makeshift rope around an overhead pipe, fixing a firm knot around the neck, and kicking away the chair underfoot. This method usually takes about 5 minutes. Some have used pencils, as short as a few inches, to simulate a tourniquet with shoelaces. Some have tied their necks and a radiator pipe and simply continuously twisted their bodies to eventually cut off the circulation. Some inmates have successfully hanged themselves from no more than 6 inches off the floor, and from vertical pipes on the walls as opposed to horizontal pipes on the ceiling. From Suicide and Suicide Methods in Prison
While all this is speculation at this point we can probably assume that there was no overhead pipe he could have tied a sheet, his pants or shirt to to make himself lose consciousness almost immediately. This means he’d have to had tied the cloth off to something low to the floor so he would be strangling himself and have a period of time to change his mind.
The technicalities of his death aside, it remains to be seen what effect his not standing trial will have on achieving true justice.
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Meanwhile as I watch Joy Reid, this is being discussed with some speculation that he might have been murdered, possibly by someone act on behalf of a person or persons want to silence him.