Epstein, who died in prison on August 10, 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, has long been the subject of conspiracy theories and speculation around his death. Epstein is reported to have died while alone in his cell — where he was under suicide watch. Procedures in place to prevent inmates from dying by suicide were allegedly not followed on the night of his death. While many have advanced the theory that Epstein is secretly still alive or was murdered in prison, his former cellmate has a different stance.
Jeffrey Epstein’s former cellmate, Bill Mersey, believes he did die by suicide.
“If you didn’t want to kill yourself before, you would after a few days at MCC,” Mersey wrote to a New York Post journalist about Epstein’s death. RELATED: What A Dismissed Prospective Juror For Ghislaine Maxwell’s Trial Said That Got Him Sent Home — And Why He’s Glad Mersey recounts the horrid conditions and lack of safety precautions in place at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City where Epstein was being held without bond. “Minus trained psychologists, it was inmates who, with a whole three hours’ training, had to watch four Suicide cells on the second floor,” Mersey explains. Mersey, who is no longer in prison, had signed up for the companion program which allowed prisoners to be paired with inmates who were suspected to be a danger to themselves. He was assigned to Epstein. “Inmates were stowed away in 50 square feet with a cellmate and nothing to do but kill themselves.”
Mersey says Epstein was ‘scared’ and couldn’t handle prison.
“Epstein was soft as a pillow and not prepared to handle this. He requested protective custody,” which he did not get. “He was scared and he did not get over it. Handling prison constantly occupied his mind. To sleep he’d place an orange prison sock over his eyes.” Mersey explains that Epstein was placed in a general population residence and was struggling with prison life before his death. RELATED: Jeffrey Epstein’s Black Book Can Be Used In Ghislaine Maxwell’s Trial — Details Of What May Be Inside “The prison was abuzz with our new felon,” Mersey recalled about Epstein’s reputation at MCC. “He talked finance, saying, ‘Stocks are like women. You have to study to see what makes them happy. Observe their reaction to international news. Then you can predict their movements and that’s how you win.’ ” Mersey recalled seeing Epstein slowly become more resigned to his fate in prison and remembers watching him eat from the floor shortly before his death. “I asked, ‘What the f - - k are you doing? Why you eating on the floor?’ ‘It’s just easier this way’ was his response.”
Mersey believes Epstein had attempted suicide shortly before his death.
“One time he returned to our cell with neck abrasions. So did he try to hang up [prison lingo for committing suicide]? He wasn’t talking. He wouldn’t say. He struck me as depressed. Suicidal.” This slightly contradicts statements made by Mersey back in 2020 when he said Epstein “did not appear suicidal nor visibly depressed.” Though, even then Mersey stressed that he did believe that Epstein’s death was not as a result of foul play or any other conspiracy. He says Epstein’s first attempt landed him in a Special Housing Unit, away from his cell with Mersey, where he remained until his death. RELATED: Files Found In Jeffrey Epstein’s New York Mansion Describe His Relationship With Ghislaine Maxwell On the night of his death, Epstein was alone in this cell — another breach of standard procedure that has been called into question.
An inmate allegedly heard Epstein tearing up sheets on the night he died.
“That Saturday morning we were informed at wake-up that we’d be eating breakfast in our cells,” Mersey recalled about the morning after Epstein’s death. “We were locked down indefinitely. Jeffrey Epstein had killed himself a few hours before and the building was crawling with government agents.” “Assumption he had killed himself was reinforced when another inmate reported that in the wee hours he’d heard the sound of tearing sheets from Jeffrey’s cell in which he’d been left all alone after this bunky had been returned to general population. Mersey has no reason to believe in the many conspiracies surrounding the financiers death and has repeatedly stressed this stance. “Nobody killed him. Jeffrey Epstein killed himself. No reason not to believe it. That Jeffrey Epstein killed himself I have no doubt.” RELATED: 20 Celebrities Linked To Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s Associate Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.
