Serious, honest question: What incentive would there have been for Epstein to talk?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

All the people have insinuated that someone was trying to “shut him up” but why would he be talking?

He wasn’t going to get a deal—he already got a sweetheart deal before and no prosecutor in their right mind would ever allow Epstein to get off easy again.

The only way I guess he would name names is just to spite any accomplices who might have gotten off where he didn’t. But even that wouldn’t change the fact that he’d likely be going to jail for the rest of his life.

I’m sorry, but I’m not seeing the incentive for him to have ever started to talk where he would need to be “silenced” by anyone.

A secondary witness or accomplice who might testify or flip—that would be more suspicious to me than Epstein’s death.

[Aristus]

1. Jail for the rest of one's life is a different prospect in Club Fed

than it is in Pound Me In The Ass Prison.

Who wouldn't trade information for a cushier place to do time?

[RockRaven]

2. There's always a bigger fish...

to borrow a phrase.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

5. But everything pointed to him as the organizer

Not Trump/Clinton/Andrew/Dershowitz/Elvis/Bigfoot/Etc.

There didn’t seem to be anyone above him. But perhaps I’m wrong.

Even so it would have to be a bombshell to justify another deal for Epstein. And he’d have to have solid proof.

[RockRaven]

6. Maybe the bigger fish isn't the worse/bigger criminal, just the more powerful/notorious person

When you're talking about heads of state and the like, it might be worth it to the prosecutors to give the ring-leader a better deal to get convictions of ring-members who, for other reasons, are a much bigger deal. If you have dedicated your life/career to the idea that nobody is above the law then getting convictions of princes and POTUSs could justify easing up (to a limited degree anyway) on the central scum-bag.

Also, documents such as video, audio, financial records, travel records, etc are all well and good when it comes to prosecuting people, but they are most effective in those prosecutions when a witness who was involved can put them into context/explain why they signify what the prosecutor says they signify. A witness plus documentary evidence, that is what really sings to a jury.

[note: I'm not endorsing the idea that Epstein was "silenced" just expounding upon what might have motivated him to spill his guts, and why anyone would given him any kind of deal]

[struggle4progress]

3. His gigantic narcissistic streak

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. None. He was at the end of the road, and he knew it. There wasn't room for a cushier prison

or shorter term. He believed his luck, influence and capital had run out.

[emmaverybo]

12. Good summing up. He was a terrible and sick person. But not a grass, especially if no

reward in it. He knew life as he’d known it was over.

[yardwork]

7. I agree. Epstein was through. He was never getting out of prison.

He killed himself because his life was going to be hell and he knew it.

[PSPS]

9. Exactly. Sadly, even DU has a full compliment of weird conspiracy-theory loons.

[customerserviceguy]

14. Just because

some here (myself included) feel that there are questions that need to be answered, doesn't make us all conspiracy theorists.

[leftstreet]

8. Why would life in cushyFed prison be incentive to kill himself?

Goes both ways I think

[njhoneybadger]

10. Have you ever heard of Vladimir Putin

Epstein was in the blackmail business an Putin needed Kompromat to compromise tRump and the republican party. The Rethugs and Putin both wanted him silenced because dead men tell no tales.

[moondust]

11. Another possibility

is that someone was afraid of ongoing TV coverage related to his court appearances -- possibly dragging on for weeks or months. Similar to concerns about TV coverage of Mueller and others.

[lapfog_1]

13. To actually talk...

not sure... but if there were potential prosecutions of other members of his pedo ring, prosecutors might well have dangled a lighter sentence or a nicer prison for him...

But the THREAT of talking would get the attention of all of those billionaires and other powerful people that he probably had hard evidence.

Here is my theory about the guy.

Smarter than average... wormed his way into one billionaires circle of trusted people... probably one that also shared his pedophilia vice.

Epstein decides that instead of making money legitimately, he will simply blackmail people by recording them with Epstein girls...

Tells the blackmail victim... "Hey... all you have to do is invest, say $100M in my investment company for a period of 4 years or so... and introduce me to your friends with a glowing recommendation"

Victim invests $100M. Epstein NEVER trades in the account... but does charge the usual 5% or 8% per year "fee" for management. He takes that money, declares it on his taxes, pays the IRS... and at the end of 4 years returns the bulk of the $100M to the investor (having left it in some standard interest drawing bank account. All perfectly legal except for the initial blackmail. Victim invites him to a few parties where he is introduced as "a party guy that likes younger women" and a "investment genius"... repeat with new victims... buy the plane, the island, the ranch in New Mexico... etc. All the while stacking up mounds of blackmail evidence against millionaires and billionaires, politicians (from both parties), influential people, top lawyers, etc.

He skates the first time authorities try to crack down on him, most likely because he corrupted the prosecutor(s).

The second time isn't going to be so easy... one of his marks is now the current President... so people are really going to dig. This time he is facing "life" (rest of his natural life) doing hard time in prison ( where the other inmates do not look kindly on rich pedophiles).

So... he either threatened (through his lawyer) someone with exposure unless they "do something" about his predicament OR he decided to simply end it by killing himself. If he did threaten to talk, perhaps this time someone decided that killing the blackmailer was easier than "paying him off" (as it would be very difficult to make the charges go away this time). If someone did decide to kill him, they first had to take care to destroy all of the potential video and photographic evidence (hence the recent large fire on "lolita island" and the raid on his NY home), the removal of the suicide watch, etc. Could that have happened... sure. Could Epstein just decided to kill himself, sure.

I am certain that he was a blackmailer... and I hope the list of blackmail victims AND the video evidence all comes out so it's not just a she said / he said #metoo thing. I want to see Prince Andrew, Dershowitz, Trump, etc (even Bill Richardson and Bill Clinton - if they are guilty) all go to prison for the rest of their lives for molesting underage girls...

But I'm pretty sure that IF he was murdered... the clean up crew has already destroyed all of the evidence against the rich and powerful assholes that participated in his pedophilia exploits.