New Epstein Prison Footage Reveals Guards' Routine Minutes After Death
Freshly released surveillance footage from US authorities presents a scene of striking calm inside the prison where financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died. The video captures prison guards going about their ordinary business merely half an hour after Epstein was discovered unresponsive in his cell.
A Scene of Apparent Normalcy
The paedophile billionaire had been found in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York at 6.30am on August 19, 2019. Despite his high-profile status and previous placement on suicide watch, the first footage emerging from the immediate aftermath depicts a tranquil environment on the floor directly above his cell.
Released by the Department of Justice as part of what it describes as the final tranche of the 'Epstein Files', the CCTV evidence was compiled ahead of his anticipated trial on sex offence charges. The footage shows a drab prison corridor and a large, curved guards' station, filmed from a fixed camera position shortly after 7am.
Guards' Casual Actions Captured
For the initial seven minutes, the camera focuses on the apparently deserted black pillared desk. Then, a hand emerges from the left of the shot, belonging to someone seated behind the desk, reaching to answer a telephone and potentially press an intercom button.
Approximately forty seconds later, a male guard in uniform and a baseball cap stands up. He begins to move away slowly but quickly returns to retrieve something from a shelf. The footage clearly shows him emptying handfuls from a small box into his palm before shovelling the contents into his mouth.
He continues eating as a female guard in uniform appears at the front of the desk with her back to the camera, picking up the telephone. The pair interact without any visible signs of panic or urgency. The male guard is then seen picking up what appears to be a large bag of crisps, consuming several more handfuls. With no audio available on the footage, their conversation remains unheard.
Separate Directions and Further Revelations
Both guards subsequently move away from the desk in separate directions. Another video released simultaneously shows a moving handheld camera panning down a prison corridor through grey doors, matching the known layout of the institution.
What transpired immediately outside Epstein's cell when he was found remains unknown. He was transported to hospital where attempts to revive him proved unsuccessful. Subsequent investigations revealed that staff had not checked on him every thirty minutes as required, and cameras outside his cell were malfunctioning at the time.
First Look Inside the Empty Cell
The Department of Justice also released, for the first time, separate footage taken inside the tiny prison cell where Epstein died. This video was filmed at the institution's Special Housing Unit, where he was held in solitary confinement, on an unspecified later date.
An unknown individual provides a 'tour' of the now vacant cell using a handheld camera. The film begins with a view through the door, featuring a large rectangular glass panel that allowed guards clear visibility into the cell. Directly across from the door stands the utilitarian fitted stainless steel bunk bed where Epstein was discovered.
Someone off-camera introduces the minute-long footage, stating 'this is the view from outside the cell' before moving into the harshly lit space. The grey concrete floor lies bare, while stark white breeze block walls are punctuated by a heavily barred window behind the bed and several bright strip lights.
Spartan Conditions of Final Confinement
On the left-hand wall sits a functional, seatless stainless steel toilet with a toilet roll holder alongside it, and a sink unit above. Next to this is a small fixed white desktop with an attached stool. The only other furniture is the now stripped low bunk bed, featuring an integrated metal attached set of steps with three rungs leading to the top bunk.
The cameraman moves into the cell, panning around to allow viewers to absorb the harsh reality of its most basic facilities. This stood as the final abode of the convicted sex offender, who had been accustomed to luxurious interiors at his numerous properties where he abused multiple young women and girls.
Aftermath and Institutional Failures
Epstein's death was officially ruled a suicide following an extensive investigation, although conspiracy theories persist due to his connections to wealthy and powerful individuals. One investigator famously described events at the prison as 'a perfect storm of screw ups'.
The Metropolitan Correctional Center was 'temporarily' closed in 2021 due to its 'deteriorating condition' but has not reopened since. These three videos form part of more than two thousand items released in the latest file disclosure, shedding new light on the circumstances surrounding one of the most controversial deaths in recent American penal history.
