Attorney David Schoen met with Jeffrey Epstein just days before his mysterious death and disclosed that the disgraced financier denied attempting suicide and instead blamed his cellmate for the neck injury that sparked concerns among jail officials.
The attorney had been approached by Epstein to take over his defense on charges of underage sex trafficking. The pair then met for five hours on August 1, 2019 at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. Schoen asserted that Epstein was optimistic and looking forward to a forthcoming bond hearing. He says that this contradicts the narrative of a man contemplating suicide.
Epstein also told Schoen that his cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, had made the strangulation marks around his neck.
About Nick Tartaglione
Nicholas Tartaglione served as a police officer in various departments across Westchester and Dutchess counties, including the YPD. In April 2023, a jury in White Plains Federal Court convicted Tartaglione for the 2015 murders of four men.
The gruesome killings followed a cocaine deal gone wrong at Likquid Lounge in Chester. Tartaglione, suspecting theft, lured Martin Luna and three others to the meeting and subjected him to a torturous attack. He then forced Luna’s nephews and a family friend to a remote location. There, he executed them via strangulation and gunshots to the head. Tartaglione and an accomplice buried the victims in a mass grave.
Charged with 17 counts, including murder and kidnapping, Tartaglione faces life in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for February 2024.
The “prank”
Nicholas Tartaglione and Jeffrey Epstein briefly shared a cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019 while both awaited trial.
Schoen recounted Epstein’s version of events about markings found around his throat. Epstein stated that Tartaglione placed a rope or cloth around his neck in what appeared to be a bizarre “prank.” Although Epstein was left visibly shaken with abrasions on his neck, he chose not to resist the act, fearing repercussions. When jail officials assumed Epstein had attempted suicide, they questioned him about the marks. Epstein decided to keep silent, not wanting to be labeled a “rat,” per Schoen’s account.
Contrary to protocols, the jail moved Tartaglione out of Epstein’s cell without assigning a new cellmate. On the night August 10, Epstein died while guards were sleeping and the cameras malfunctioning.
Suicide or murder?
The official cause of Epstein’s death was ruled a suicide by the medical examiner. A subsequent DOJ report supported this determination. However, Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, disputes this finding. He points to evidence and an independent autopsy report by forensic medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden, suggesting murder.
David Schoen likewise expressed skepticism about labeling Epstein’s death a suicide. The attorney believes the narrative of suicide doesn’t align with Epstein’s behavior leading up to the incident. And the neck injury was a false indication of Epstein’s condition.
As the mystery surrounding Epstein’s demise deepens, questions persist about the circumstances within the jail that night and the nature of Jeffrey Epstein’s untimely death.
