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Epstein knew full well who he was dealing with, who he had dirt on, and how much power they had, could bring to bear, and just what they could make happen.

When he was going to the Manhattan Correctional Center he was delivered a message that essentially consisted of the following:

1) You know you possess too much information and are too dangerous to live.
2) You will be provided with the means to commit suicide in the following manner. You will be told exactly when to do it and we will see to it that the cameras are disabled and the guards are looking the other way for the necessary amount of time for you to complete the task.
3) IF you FAIL TO SUCCEED, we will be forced to have you executed in jail in very short order AND we WILL see that it is then carried out in the most brutal, painful and disfiguring way possible.
4) This is the best deal you will get. You are a smart enough man to know what to do now.

In this way, Epstein's death was actually a homicide...but he was forced to be the accomplice...and, as such, the end result was consistent with suicide for the Coroner's purposes.