Federal Prosecutors Find Jeffrey Epstein, Former Friend of Donald Trump's, First Suicide Attempt Video

Jeffrey Epstein tried to kill himself before August 10, 2019, and failed. The disgraced financier's video recording of his first suicide attempt was reportedly "missing" or possibly destroyed. However, federal prosecutors found the surveillance footage of the Manhattan court cell area, according to a new court filing. 

According to federal prosecutors, the jail authorities preserved the video clip for Epstein's cellmate and former Westchester County, New York, police officer Nicholas Tartaglione, at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, who claimed to have helped save his life on July 23, 2019, per CNBC. 

The wealthy financier was arrested on July 6, 2019, and on the 23rd, he attempted to take his life inside the federal jail. Epstein was found on the floor in a fetal position, half-conscious, and had marks on his neck. However, it was unclear whether he was suicidal or did it to obtain a transfer from jail. 

A U.S. Bureau of Prison spokesperson clarified, "As with all inmates, for privacy and security reasons, we do not share information on an inmate's medical status or their conditions of confinement" despite reports of being admitted to the local hospital. 

Sources revealed Tartaglione was Epstein's inmate in the cell. His lawyer, Bruce Barket, said his client and Epstein were in the Special Housing Unit but didn't confirm they shared the same cell. "They interacted extensively," Barket said. "They've gotten along pretty well." 

Although he died by "apparent suicide" in August 2019, Epstein's death remains a mystery to date. Multiple conspiracy theories have been doing rounds regarding what led the multimillionaire to kill himself, including a planned murder. One such theory was fueled by former president Donald Trump, who once was a close friend of Epstein. 

The Republican retweeted a conspiracy post by conservative actor and comedian Terrence Williams, who claimed Epstein couldn't have died by suicide despite being on suicide watch. He accused 42nd President Bill Clinton of being involved in the financier's murder. However, his claims had no substantial proof or basis for Trump to back the theory.

On August 10, 2019, it was reported Epstein was not on suicide watch, and neither his cellmate Tartaglione was with him. However, during his first attempt, the former police officer who was arrested under homicidal charges saved him from taking his life. Reportedly, two jail guards were found negligent and accused of browsing content online when Epstein committed suicide. The 31-year-old Tova Noel and 41-year-old Michael Thomas were charged with conspiracy and filing false records of keeping a regular watch on the financier, per CNN. 

They were supposed to run a check on Epstein and other prisoners in their supervision every half an hour. Instead, the indictment claimed Noel and Thomas "sat at their desk without moving and appeared to have been asleep" for two hours. "[Epstein] had committed suicide overnight while unobserved." Two days after he committed suicide, Tartaglione's lawyers requested the "missing-then-found" video clip from July 22 to July 23 to show in the court for their client's prison sentence.