“Epstein was either killed or encouraged to kill himself. In the case of a likely assassination, it would have been very easy to make it look like a suicide in such a controlled environment. Switch off the cameras and get to work…” -Former Special Ops/CIA Operator

Earlier this year, Jeffrey Epstein, a powerful, well connected financier and convicted sex offender was found dead in his cell in New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center. News of his death immediately prompted a landslide of new (and old) conspiracy theories, many of which took on a clear political slant as theorists on the Right inferred his death was ordered by the Clintons, and theorists on the Left levying similar theories regarding Trump. Because both Bill Clinton and Donald Trump both had long standing ties with Epstein and have both been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, many believed both parties had a vested interest in silencing Epstein before the gritty details of his story could be made public.

Those theories were exacerbated when the autopsy revealed that the hyoid bone in Epstein’s neck was broken — an injury that is more commonly found homicides than suicides. In some cases, a broken hyoid bone suggests forceful strangulation, but not exclusively. Broken hyoids are also commonly found in hanging deaths, particularly among the elderly. Epstein, who died at 66 years old and didn’t lead a particularly hardy life in the years prior to his death, could certainly have broken the bone himself as he attempted a hanging. As a result, the broken bone offered no conclusive evidence in either direction.

“If, hypothetically, the hyoid bone is broken, that would generally raise questions about strangulation, but it is not definitive and does not exclude suicidal hanging,” Jonathan Arden, the president of the National Association of Medical Examiners, weighed in on the subject.

However, Epstein’s suicide still begs some hard questions about why the man was taken off of suicide watch in the days prior to his death, why he was left alone for extended periods of time, and how such a high-profile inmate could be allowed to die while in police custody. These developments represent a symphony of failures within the New York justice system, but where some see failure, others contend that it was intentional malfeasance. This line of thinking would suggest that Epstein did indeed commit suicide but alleges that he was given the opportunity to silence himself.

However, despite Americans remaining largely split on what they think really happened to Epstein, there isn’t an abundance of evidence to support the idea that Epstein was the victim of a conspiracy. Of course, one could contend that a good conspiracy wouldn’t leave much evidence to recount; but there’s more behind the push to assume Epstein’s death was the result of foul play than his powerful connections and shady past. Epstein’s death lends itself well to conspiracy theories because in many ways, his life represented a legitimate and nefarious conspiracy all its own.

In many ways, what we know about Epstein’s life points to a complex web of crime, deceit, and likely, blackmail. The man was extremely wealthy, reportedly worth upwards of a half a billion dollars, but how he made that money remains somewhat unclear. He also had a deep Rolodex full of extremely wealthy and powerful friends — men like the two aforementioned presidents and many others. As a result, some have wondered if his mysterious fortune, his powerful connections, and his tenacity for victimizing young girls were all a part of the same overarching conspiracy: sex trafficking children and young women to powerful men. There’s little question that Epstein was an active participant in sex trafficking, the question is: did he have customers other than himself?

This theory is further bolstered by Epstein’s apparent ability to avoid any real repercussions for his crimes in the past. Epstein’s sex crimes were hardly a DC secret; In fact, former SOFREP Editor in Chief Jack Murphy was writing about Epstein’s blackmail and pedophilia already back in 2015. The man was indicted for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old in 2005. The 53-page federal indictment on sex crimes charges should have been enough to put Epstein away for life back then… but somehow he managed to swing a “non-prosecution agreement” (NPA) with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami — then led by now-former Trump Labor Secretary, Alexander Acosta. Instead of doing life in prison, Epstein served 13 months in a county jail that allowed him “work release” for 12 hours of each day throughout his term.

So, the facts of the case are as follows: a convicted sex offender seemed to not only dodge any real punishment for his crimes, but he also continued to sexually abuse children for years — seemingly out in the open. Before and during this time, he cultivated relationships with wealthy and powerful individuals and amassed a massive fortune that, thus far, remains rather mysterious. His apparent suicide seemed to come as a result of overlapping failures from the medical and law enforcement personnel charged with holding him.

The inferences one could draw from these facts might suggest that Epstein’s sex trafficking was more than a disgusting hobby — trafficking children and the associated black mail of powerful individuals may have actually been an extremely lucrative career. Some of Epstein’s “friends” may have actually been “customers,” that Epstein maintained leverage over, and some of those same customers may have gone to great lengths to silence him before his day in court.

Or, he may have been as much a coward as he was a monster and chose the easy way out, rather than finally face the repercussions for his terrible actions. The truth is, there’s no real way to know at this juncture. From my vantage point, it seems likely that Epstein did indeed commit suicide. It also seems likely that other powerful individuals could be implicated by ongoing investigations into Epstein’s dealings, and many of them were likely rooting for his death.

But beyond that… there isn’t much hard evidence to suggest he was murdered by some deep state conspiracy. There’s a reasonable argument to be made, perhaps, but an argument without evidence is nothing more than a thought exercise. Until some new evidence surfaces, it’s hard to dispute the official story, convenient as it may seem.