Additional Coverage:
- The doctor who conducted Jeffrey Epstein’s autopsy explains why she hesitated to declare his death a suicide (businessinsider.com)
Autopsy Doctor Breaks Silence on Jeffrey Epstein’s Death: “It Was Pretty Clear Cut”
For years, the medical examiner who performed Jeffrey Epstein’s autopsy remained publicly silent, fueling a firestorm of conspiracy theories surrounding the financier’s death in a Manhattan jail cell. Now, a newly released transcript of her interview with the Justice Department reveals Dr. Kristin Roman’s definitive conclusion: Epstein died by suicide.
Epstein was found dead on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on explosive sex-trafficking charges. The following day, Dr.
Roman, a New York City medical examiner, conducted the autopsy. Her initial death certificate, however, left the cause of death “pending studies,” opting not to immediately check “homicide” or “suicide.”
This ambiguity, coupled with a forensic pathologist hired by Epstein’s brother, Michael Baden, publicly suggesting homicide, ignited widespread speculation that Epstein was murdered to silence him.
Five days after the autopsy, Dr. Barbara Sampson, New York City’s chief medical examiner and Roman’s superior, officially ruled Epstein’s death a suicide. The reasoning behind Roman’s initial hesitation and subsequent agreement remained largely unknown until recently.
Thanks to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a transcript of Dr. Roman’s May 2022 interview with the Justice Department investigation has been made public. In it, she clarifies her initial “pending studies” classification, stating she was simply “being thorough.”
“If he had been a less high-profile person who there weren’t people wanting to kill, I would have probably called it a hanging on the day of autopsy,” Roman explained to investigators.
“It Was Pretty Clear Cut”
Despite Baden’s continued insistence that three neck fractures are more consistent with strangulation than hanging, Roman expressed certainty in her finding. “It was pretty clear cut,” she stated, adding that she wanted to examine Epstein’s cell and speak with the correctional officer who discovered his body before finalizing her findings. While she wasn’t permitted to interview staff or physically inspect the cell, she was shown photographs, which she said did not alter her conclusion.
Roman directly addressed the neck fractures, explaining that the hyoid bone was fractured at “the tip” where it would have pressed against his spine, rather than near the joints, which would be expected in a “homicidal fashion with un-sustained pressure.” Similarly, she noted that the thyroid cartilage fractured in places consistent with the hyoid bone pressing against it, a pattern she said would be “uneven” in manual strangulation.
Baden, however, maintains his skepticism, citing his 25 years as a New York City medical examiner and decades on a state commission overseeing prison deaths, during which he said he never observed three fractures in a suicidal hanging. “That doesn’t mean it can never happen, but it sure as hell is very rare if it happens,” he commented.
The Mystery of the Noose
Roman’s interview also touched upon the noose, fashioned from a bedsheet, that accompanied Epstein’s body. Baden, who did not see the noose during the autopsy but later viewed photographs, claims the ligature marks on Epstein’s neck did not align with what he would expect from the nooses found.
Roman admitted she was “not as convinced as I would like to be” about which specific noose was used, but reiterated that it didn’t impact her overall conclusion. Interestingly, when shown photos of two potential nooses made from torn bedsheets, she noted that a second one, which she had not seen before, “looks like a more likely candidate” to have caused the injuries.
Both Roman and Sampson declined to comment for this report. Mark Epstein, Jeffrey Epstein’s brother, remains unconvinced by Roman’s explanation, stating, “They’re either lying, they’re incompetent, or they’re wrong.”
The release of Dr. Roman’s testimony offers a crucial, albeit belated, insight into the official determination of Jeffrey Epstein’s death, though it appears unlikely to quell the persistent doubts and theories surrounding the controversial case.