Ghislaine Maxwell says she believes Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in prison
The convicted sex offender refused to apologise to her victims and said they should blame US authorities for ‘allowing Epstein to die’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ghislaine Maxwell said she believes Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in prison in her first interview from behind bars.
Maxwell, 61, further fuelled conspiracy theories surrounding the disgraced billionaire’s death by disputing the official ruling of suicide in an interview broadcast on Talk TV’s the Jeremy Kyle Show on Monday.
“I believe that he was murdered. I was shocked,” she said. “Then I wondered how it had happened because as far as I was concerned, he was going to... I was sure he was going to appeal. And I was sure he was covered under the non-prosecution agreement.”
Maxwell declined to apologise to her victims during the Talk TV interview and said they should take their anger out on US authorities for allowing Epstein to die.
“I say that Epstein died and they should take their disappointment and upset out on the authorities who allowed that to happen,” she said. “And as I said I hope they have some closure by the judicial process that took place. I wish them time to heal and to be able to have a productive and good life going forward, and that’s what I hope for them.”
Epstein, 66, was found dead in his prison cell in New York 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled to have been by suicide after an investigation by medical examiners.
Maxwell was found guilty of the abuse and trafficking of four young girls after a jury trial in New York in December 2021.
At her trial, prosecutors outlined how Maxwell operated as his enabler in luring vulnerable teenage girls with promises of scholarships, gifts and financial assistance for their families, and coerced them into becoming objects for his sexual gratification.
Victims described during the trial how Maxwell initially came across as a trusting, sisterly figure, who would then work in unison with Epstein to abuse and exploit them.
She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022, and continues to appeal the verdict and sentence.
During the interview from Tallahassee Federal Correctional Institution with journalist Daphne Barak, Maxwell said she wished she had never met Epstein.
“Clearly my association and the fact that I worked for him and spent time with him and knew him has devastated my life and hurt many people that I’ve loved and hold dear around me,” she told Ms Barak. “I didn’t know that he was so awful. I mean, obviously now, looking back with hindsight, of course. But at the time, I mean he had lots of friends. He was friendly with just about everybody you could imagine. There was no reason to imagine that he was someone who was capable of evil.”
Maxwell went on to describe her life as prisoner 02879-509 in the minimum security facility during the Talk TV interview.
She said that she gets up at 6am and is given a breakfast of cereal and a piece of fruit. Then she makes her bed “military style”, which if not done correctly brings unspecified disciplinary action.
Maxwell then heads to the prison’s law library where she works helping other inmates with paperwork related to their appeals and release.
She went on to complain about the prison lunches, that are taken at 10am, describing them as “beyond tasteless”.
“The portion control is very odd, and because I'm on a no-meat diet, there's supposed to be either hummus or cottage cheese or tofu. But mostly, I'd say 95 per cent [of the time], it's tofu or beans.”
Maxwell, who once counted Donald Trump and Bill and Hillary Clinton among her friends, was asked about an infamous 2001 photograph of herself with Prince Andrew, and a 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre.
She said she believed it had been faked, adding: “I don’t believe it’s real for a second.”
Ms Giuffre filed a civil sexual assault lawsuit against Andrew on claims he sexually assaulted her when she was 17 – which he vehemently denied.
Andrew later paid millions to Ms Giuffre to settle the case out of court.
Maxwell also revealed she had met the Queen Elizabeth II, and paid tribute to the former monarch’s “elegance and sheer capacity for dedication to her work”.
“I thought that the Queen was one of the most exceptional women I ever had the honour and privilege of briefly meeting,” she said.
Maxwell’s brother Ian, who was listening into the interviews, later asks her “who is the real Ghislaine”?
She replied that she felt “completely divorced from the person that people reference and talk about” in the media.
The biggest misconception, she said, was that “I’m the cruelest, meanest, horriblest person who’s committed crimes.”
Ms Barak, who has known Maxwell for nearly two decades, later told host Jeremy Kyle that the former socialite had been placed on suicide watch around the time of their interview.
“I asked her several times ‘are you suicidal’ because two days after I met her in the jail she was put on suicide watch, but she insists she is not suicidal,” Ms Barak said.
Ms Barak said Maxwell appeared strong and healthy and was holding out hope when her appeal is heard later this month.
“She really truly believes that she has a chance,” Ms Barak said.
Ms Barak said Maxwell had deliberately chosen not to apologise to her victims while she continued to try to overturn the convictions.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments