Epstein didn't kill himself

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Graffiti on an Interstate 71 N flyover in Cincinnati , Ohio (December 2019)

The phrase "Epstein did not kill himself" (to German: "Epstein has not killed himself" ) represents the hypothesis , the American financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein did not like officially presented suicide committed, but was in his prison cell murdered been to prevent his testimony in court. The thesis, viewed by some as a conspiracy theory , spread quickly on social media and is therefore considered an internet phenomenon .

background

On August 10, 2019, American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his prison cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center . There he awaited trial on new human trafficking charges . According to an official statement from the Legal Department of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, "he was taken to a local hospital for treatment for life-threatening injuries and then pronounced dead by hospital staff." The New York medical examiner classified Epstein's death as a suicide . Epstein's lawyers challenged this conclusion and launched their own investigations. Epstein's brother Mark commissioned the pathologist Michael Baden to monitor the autopsy . At the end of October, Baden announced that, in his opinion, the results would indicate strangulation caused by third parties rather than suicide. Both the FBI and the US Department of Justice Inspector General are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death. The guards on duty were later charged with conspiracy and forgery of files.

Due to the circumstances, the violations of the guards' duty of supervision on the night of his death, that the surveillance video was accidentally deleted from Epstein's prison cell and the backup of this video recording was no longer available due to a technical error, in connection with Epstein's alleged compromising knowledge over influential figures , doubts arose that he killed himself.

overview

The central idea of ​​the meme is to quote the phrase "Epstein didn't kill himself" in unexpected contexts. The phrase appeared on signs and painted bodies on television sports broadcasts. Several people inserted the sentence at the end of interviews with no apparent connection. Ricky Gervais mentioned the hypothesis during his opening speech at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards . It is used on all sides of the political spectrum without users agreeing on the specifics of Epstein's death. Conspiracy theorists see Donald Trump and Bill Clinton in particular as the backers for Epstein's death, without there being any solid evidence that they were involved.

Individual evidence

  1. Jump up ↑ Caroline Hallemann: Virginia Giuffre Speaks Out About Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew in a New BBC Interview. December 2, 2019, Retrieved December 8, 2019 (American English).
  2. ^ Medical examiner rules Epstein death a suicide by hanging. August 17, 2019, accessed December 8, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Lauren Frias: Jeffrey Epstein's lawyers blast 'medieval conditions' at federal jail where he died by suicide and say they are launching their own investigation. Retrieved December 8, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Melissa Leon: Jeffrey Epstein's autopsy more consistent with homicidal strangulation than suicide, Dr. Michael Baden reveals. October 29, 2019, Retrieved December 8, 2019 (American English).
  5. ↑ Rebecca Davis O'Brien and Corinne Ramey: Jeffrey Epstein's Jail Guards Charged With Conspiracy, Records Falsification. Retrieved December 8, 2019 (American English).
  6. ↑ Katie Benner, Danielle Ivory, Christina Goldbaum, Ashley Southall: Before Jail Suicide, Jeffrey Epstein Was Left Alone and Not Closely Monitored . In: The New York Times . August 11, 2019, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed December 8, 2019]).
  7. ↑ Mark Hosenball: FBI studies two broken cameras outside cell where Epstein died: source. In: Reuters. August 28, 2019, accessed December 8, 2019 .
  8. ↑ DER SPIEGEL: If Epstein: surveillance video is said to have been accidentally deleted - DER SPIEGEL - Panorama. Retrieved January 10, 2020 .
  9. ^ A b Adam K. Raymond: The 'Epstein Didn't Kill Himself' Meme Has Gone Mainstream. In: Intelligencer. Vox Media. November 11, 2019, accessed November 8, 2019 .
  10. ↑ James B. Stewart: The Day Jeffrey Epstein Told Me He Had Dirt on Powerful People . In: The New York Times . August 12, 2019, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed December 8, 2019]).
  11. ↑ Asher Stockler On 8/27/19 at 3:18 PM EDT: Jeffrey Epstein's attorneys tell judge they have evidence "far more consistent" with murder as a cause of death than suicide. August 27, 2019, accessed December 8, 2019 .
  12. ↑ a b Understanding the 'Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself' meme. In: CBC News, Front Burner. November 20, 2019, accessed December 8, 2019 .
  13. ↑ James Poulos: 'Epstein didn't kill himself' and the decline of the elite: James Poulos. In: The Orange County Register. November 14, 2019, accessed December 8, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Benjamin Goggin and Kat TenBarge: Why you're seeing Jeffrey Epstein murder memes everywhere. In: Insider. November 19, 2019, accessed December 8, 2019 .
  15. ↑ a b Emma Gray Ellis: 'Epstein Didn't Kill Himself' and the Meme-ing of Conspiracy - What happens when a conspiracy theory becomes flattened into a quick, shareable phrase? In: Wired. November 15, 2019, accessed December 8, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Brian Flood: 'Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself' meme pops up on MSNBC. November 12, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019 (American English).
  17. ^ Adrian Horton: Ricky Gervais targets Apple, Epstein and Cats in Golden Globes monologue . In: The Guardian . January 6, 2020, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed January 12, 2020]).
  18. ↑ Epstein's Death Becomes A Meme. Retrieved December 8, 2019 .
  19. ↑ Epstein died, but 'Epstein didn't kill himself' memes are alive and well. November 7, 2019, accessed December 8, 2019 .
  20. ↑ factcheck.org , as of August 19, 2019.