Dr. Michael Budden, who was present at his autopsy, said his death should be re-examined as he believes the findings are more suggestive of strangulation than suicide by hanging.
Baden is unconvinced by the New York Medical Examiner’s Office finding that the broker ended his own life
“My view is that his death was probably caused by strangulation rather than hanging. Given all the information now available, further investigation into the cause and manner of death is warranted.”
Dr. Baden did not perform the autopsy, but was present during it as an observer on behalf of Epstein’s family.
The “lost” minute
The release of CCTV footage from the night Epstein died has fueled speculation about a mysterious “missing minute” in the video, sparking theories that someone entered his cell undetected.
In another clip from that night, an orange “glow” is seen moving up the stairwell leading to the solitary confinement cell. Documents revealed that authorities disagreed on what that glow was, saying it was “possibly” an inmate.
The official medical examiner’s report initially left the manner of death open, but a few days later New York’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Barbara Sampson, ruled it a suicide, without being present at the autopsy. Baden disagrees, pointing out three fractures in Epstein’s neck, which he considers highly unusual for a suicide.
Epstein’s lawyers agree
Epstein’s lawyers, meanwhile, argued that the concerns of Dr. Baden agreed with theirs and that they were not “satisfied” with the coroner’s findings.
“I have seen no indication of further study, nothing to indicate that there was further investigation into the cause of death,” he said, adding that Dr. Samson was simply “accepted.”
“The diagnosis was made several days after the original cause of death had been given,” he said. In unusual or highly suspicious cases, it may take weeks or even months to determine the cause of death.
Dr Baden was among the first to express concerns about the finding. In August 2019, he told Fox News that “the evidence points to a homicide, not a suicide.”
The three fractures
Speaking to the Telegraph, he said: “That was my view at the time and I still stand by it. The autopsy findings are much more consistent with blunt force trauma caused by homicidal strangulation than with hanging by suicide.”
The official forensic report lists three separate fractures in Epstein’s neck: one to the left hyoid bone and one to the thyroid cartilage on the right side, as well as one on the left side.
Dr. Budden claimed that in 50 years of reviewing coroner’s reports on inmate deaths in New York state and municipal jails, he had never seen a suicide by hanging involving three neck fractures.
“Even a fracture forces us to investigate the possibility of homicide. Both definitely require a full investigation,” he said. “Such findings do not appear in the literature, nor have I seen them.” Dr. Samson disagrees, saying that fractures of the hyoid bone and cartilage are seen in both suicides and homicides.
Who is Dr. Michael Budden
Dr Baden, 91, has worked on several high-profile cases. In 1995 he testified at the trial of OJ Simpson, maintaining that he was innocent.
The former American football star was charged with the brutal murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Dr Baden later retracted his claims. Simpson was acquitted at trial, but was later found civilly liable for their deaths following a wrongful-death lawsuit and ordered to pay $33.5m (£24.5m) to the victims’ families.
He also worked on investigations into the assassinations of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. In 2020, he was hired by the family of George Floyd to perform an autopsy. His findings conflicted with the official report, which argued that Floyd had no underlying health problems that contributed to his death from asphyxiation after a police officer knelt on his neck.
Similarly, in the Epstein case, the doctor’s findings were dismissed by authorities but still resonate with many who question how such a high-profile inmate, on suicide watch, managed to kill himself in his cell. And although the circumstances of his death have been investigated, the actual cause has never been re-examined.
