Epstein was Afraid of former Briarclilff Cop, Convicted Murderer and cellmate Tartaglione after he tied a rope around his neck in first “attempted suicide.”
DOJ Mug Shot of Jeffrey Epstein
By Dan Murphy
The most credible source so far who claims that Jeffrey Epstein had no reason to commit suicide was his criminal defense attorney David Schoen, who met with Epstein for hours in the days before he is alleged to have hung himself in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, (MCC), in lower Manhattan.
Schoen, a solo practitioner who only accepts a few cases each year, agreed to take Epstein’s case and met with his client at MCC several days before his death on Aug. 9-10, 2019.
Schoen, appearing on the Crimewaves Podcast with Declan Hill on Jan. 5, said that Epstein had hired him to prepare for his upcoming criminal trial for sex trafficking of minors, and to request bail.
“He was in pretty good spirits. We immediately started to talk about the case -when I met with him on Aug. 1. About two weeks earlier there had been an incident which they initially called an attempted suicide, but later came to no conclusion.
“I discussed it with him- it was not in any way was it an attempted suicide. But he told the staff he couldn’t remember what happened because he was afraid…. We met for a total of five hours.”
July 23, 2019, was the day that Schoen is referencing. Who was his cellmate that day? Former Briarcliff Manor cop Nicholas Tartaglione, who was in MCC for a quadruple homicide.
Tartaglione claimed later that he had saved Epstein from suicide, but Epstein told Schoen something much different. “What he said happened was that this other inmate (Tartaglione) had tied something around his neck as part of some kind of experiment that Jeffrey didn’t feel he was in a position to say no to. And the guy pulled the thing, and it left a mark on his neck, and that was the end of it, he didn’t pass out, but it was a scary episode for him… But it was not an attempted suicide. He explained it to me in some detail,” said Schoen. When asked what Epstein was afraid of, Schoen said “retaliation from the inmate,” (Tartaglione).
Schoen explained that Epstein was preparing a defense to the charges against him and hoped to be out of the MCC and on bail soon. “Suicide wasn’t even in the realm of possibilities. Our entire meeting was based on a strategy of how to beat the case. And he wasn’t in any way depressed.
“We had a trial strategy in place…If someone were planning to take his own life, he would not have been interested in having me help him with that plan…He was so firmly committed to moving forward with this case… Saturday, I got the news that he was dead,” said Schoen.
“I base my conclusion that he didn’t commit suicide on two things…When I met with him his plan was to fight this thing….And on Michael Baden’s report…His observations and conclusions and discussions have further convinced me it wasn’t suicide…He said that in all of the thousands of autopsies he has done..he had never seen injuries like this consistent with suicide,” said Schoen.
The Crimewaves Podcast with Declan Hill on Jan. 5, can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctbhFavL2dA.
Jeffrey Epstein’s brother, the only remaining living member of his family, also has been discussing his brother’s death, and referenced the Crimewaves podcast with Schoen.
Tartaglione was found guilty of murdering four of drug dealers that he was partners with. One of the four murders was Martin Luna. Tartaglione strangled Martin Luna with a zip tie.
As a result of the “first attempted suicide,” and the marks of Epstein’s neck, Tartaglione was transferred out of Epstein’s cell. But on the night of Epstein’s death, the cameras inside MCC were not functioning and the guards were sleeping.
Did Tartaglione return to Epstein’s cell to finish the job? If he did, what Tartaglione got in return is unknown. He did not receive a deal from the Department of Justice-he is serving a life sentence.
We continue to search for information about Clay Tiffany, who was harassed and beaten nearly to death while Tartaglione was a Briarcliff cop. Tiffany hosted a Cable Access talk show, Dirge for the Charlatans. We are looking for copies of that show. Please email us if you have the tapes or any information, to dmurphy@risingmediagroup.com.
David Schoen has no reason to lie about his former client. It would be easier for him to remain silent, but he is coming forward in an effort to reveal Epstein’s true mental state in the days before he died. Epstein’s “attempted suicide” and then his “suicide” appear to have taken place without suicide involved.
