Plurality of Americans Believe Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself

On July 6, a memo obtained by Axios and later released publicly said that the FBI had no evidence that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein blackmailed powerful figures, had a client list, or was murdered. This has spurred a week of debate and controversy, as figures online critique the administration for not releasing more documents related to the case, which was promised on the campaign trail and when in office by Attorney General Pam Bondi and others.

The latest data indicate that Americans are skeptical of the FBI’s claims, with the plurality still believing that Epstein did not kill himself.

The poll that asked this specifically over the last week came from YouGov on July 9, with 7,237 U.S. adults surveyed. It found that only 20% believed the official story, that Epstein killed himself, while 39% believed he was murdered. The other 40% said they were “not sure.” This belief was evenly held, with around 40% of Democrats, independents, and Republicans all believing he did not kill himself.

Epstein was arrested in New York City on multiple charges, including sex trafficking, on July 6, 2019, and denied bail on July 18, due to the potential to be a flight risk, having taken 20 international flights in the previous 18 months. Before he died on Aug. 10, Epstein was found semiconscious in his cell with injuries to his neck on July 23. Federal authorities never formally concluded whether the injuries came from his cellmate or a failed suicide attempt.

Just over two weeks later, Epstein was found dead in his cell. The initial autopsy from New York City’s chief medical examiner, conducted on Aug. 11, 2019, said that Epstein killed himself using a bed sheet strangulation that he made himself on the morning of Aug. 10.

A few days after the initial autopsy, Epstein’s lawyers hired a forensic pathologist to observe the autopsy, who said that Epstein’s neck injuries were more indicative of a “homicidal strangulation” than suicide. Skeptics also point to other occurrences during the suicide, including that his cellmate was transferred on Aug. 9 and he was not given a new cellmate, that guards who were supposed to check his cell overnight every 30 minutes fell asleep and later falsified records saying they checked his cell, and that the two cameras in front of Epstein’s cell malfunctioned that night.

The Department of Justice released “raw” footage last week purporting to show that nobody left or entered Epstein’s cell block during the time when Epstein is alleged to have killed himself. However, an analysis of the video done by Wired and “independent video forensics experts” showed that the video was not “raw” but in fact modified, likely from “at least two source clips.”

All of this has fueled more conspiracies about the Epstein case. When asked in the same poll, “How confident are you that all people connected with Jeffrey Epstein who are alleged to have committed sex crimes will be thoroughly investigated?” only 5% said they are very confident, 10% somewhat confident, and 67% said they are not very or not at all confident.

Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was sentenced in 2022 for her role in a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse multiple minor girls. Some of the underage girls were made to give Epstein “sexual massages,” and others were trafficked across state and international lines. Despite multiple allegations involving Epstein’s broader network, Maxwell remains the only individual who has been sentenced for crimes related to his sex trafficking operation.

Further doubts that information related to Epstein will be released have been raised after Trump put out a lengthy Truth Social post, criticizing those focusing on Epstein instead of the “success” of the administration. “Kash Patel, and the FBI, must be focused on investigating Voter Fraud, Political Corruption, ActBlue, The Rigged and Stolen Election of 2020, and arresting Thugs and Criminals, instead of spending month after month looking at nothing but the same old, Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein,” he wrote.