An inmate at the federal jail where accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was found unresponsive on Saturday morning has reportedly claimed he heard nothing out of the ordinary that day — conflicting with another report that screams were heard coming from Epstein’s cell on the morning he died.
According to NBC News, the lawyer for Nicholas Tartaglione, a former Westchester police officer charged with quadruple homicide, said his client heard nothing at all in the early morning hours of August 10, although he was being held only a few cells away from where Epstein was found at about 6:30 that morning.
“Nobody heard anything,” the lawyer, Bruce Barket, told NBC News. “It was a silent act.”
The attorney’s statement appear to conflict with a CBS News report that screams and shrieks were heard coming from Epstein’s cell on Saturday morning. The report did not indicate who or how many people heard the screams; or if they were believed to have come from the correction offers who found Epstein, or Epstein himself.
The lawyer told NBC News that Tartaglione was sharing a cell with Epstein at the time of a possible suicide attempt on July 23, and said that his client has information about Epstein’s death.
“Nick knows a heck of a lot about what went on,” Barket told the news outlet.
“He was there during the first attempt and he was there when he actually killed himself — he just wasn’t in the same cell.”
Barket did not specify what information his client purportedly has.
As NBC News notes, Tartaglione was a former police officer in Briarcliff Manor, New York, and is accused of killing four men in connection with an alleged cocaine ring. The former officer, 51, allegedly buried the victims in his yard.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Epstein was taken off suicide watch on July 29, six days after the possible suicide attempt. He was then placed in a special housing unit and was supposed to have a cell mate as well as regular checks every 30 minutes. According to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, no correction officer checked on Epstein for hours before he reportedly hanged himself with a bedsheet from a top bunk; and he did not have a cell mate on the day he died.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
