The doctor who examinedJeffrey Epstein's body after he diedin a New York prison has explained why she did not immediately rule his death a suicide.
In newly released testimony, forensic pathologist Kristin Roman said she delayed making a final decision because the case was highly sensitive and closely watched. She also pointed to fractures in Epstein's neck and said she initially did not have full information about what happened inside his prison cell.
Although officials later ruled the death a suicide, Roman said she wanted to review more details before confirming the cause.
Epstein was found dead in his cell at Manhattan Correctional Center on 10 August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges involving underage girls.
The next day, Roman, a medical examiner with New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, carried out the autopsy. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist hired by Epstein's brother, Mark Epstein, was also present during the examination.
The two doctors quickly reached different views about what the evidence suggested.
Baden later argued that Epstein's injuries pointed to homicide rather than suicide. Roman, however, decided not to make a final judgement straight away.
Instead, she left both the 'suicide' and 'homicide' boxes blank on the death certificate and marked the cause of death as 'pending studies', meaning further review was needed.
At the time, the decision was simply part of the medical process. But the delay later fuelledwidespread conspiracy theories about Epstein's death, as critics questioned why the cause had not been confirmed immediately.
Roman's reasoning has now emerged in a transcript of her sworn interview with investigators from the US Justice Department inspector general's office. The interview was released this year under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Source: International Business Times UK
