Jeffrey Epstein accusers say they have been 'denied justice' by billionaire's jail suicide in emotional court hearing

Financier Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry March 28, 2017.
REUTERS
Megan White27 August 2019

Jeffrey Epstein's accusers have told of their anger that they will not see justice after the financier took his own life in jail.

16 women appeared in court on Tuesday, with many saying they had been "robbed of their dreams" after allegedly being abused by the billionaire.

Mr Epstein had been awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges when he killed himself on August 10.

The hearing in New York was convened by US District Judge Richard Berman, who presided over the case after federal prosecutors had Epstein arrested last month.

Lawyer David Boies arrives with his client Virginia Giuffre for hearing in the criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein
REUTERS

The question before the judge was whether to throw out the indictment because of the defendant's death, a usually pro forma step undertaken without a hearing.

But the judge offered Mr Epstein's accusers their say in court.

Repeatedly, the women described themselves as survivors and said they hoped coming forward publicly would encourage other women to heal.

They lashed out at Mr Epstein for his alleged crimes and his suicide.

Attorney Gloria Allred, center, speaks during a news conference after leaving a Manhattan court
AP

Jennifer Araoz, who has accused Epstein of raping her in his New York mansion when she was a 15-year-old aspiring actress, said: "He robbed me of my dreams, of my chance to pursue a career I adored.

"The fact I will never have a chance to face my predator in court eats away at me.

"They let this man kill himself and kill the chance for justice for so many others."

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has said she was a 15-year-old working at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club when she was recruited to perform sex acts on Epstein, said: "My hopes were quickly dashed and my dreams were stolen."

Teala Davies, an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein, speaks to the media while Gloria Allred, who is representing alleged victims, looks on
REUTERS

In addition to the women who spoke, statements from over a dozen others were read in court by their lawyers.

During the 2-hour hearing, most of the women remained composed, but several cried as they described falling into Epstein's web.

His suicide left some of them angry, others sad. One said she was relieved that he was gone and could abuse no others.

Some women described their shame and embarrassment, saying Epstein manipulated them, dangling his wealth and power and connection to celebrities and political figures, while seizing on their vulnerabilities.

Jennifer Araoz, an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein, walks after a hearing in the criminal case against Epstein
REUTERS

One woman who remained anonymous said Epstein when she was 15 flew her to a ranch where she was sexually molested for many hours while he kept insisting he was helping her to grow. She said he abused her in a position where she would see his framed pictures of himself on a dresser, smiling with celebrities.

A New York City coroner ruled that Epstein hanged himself. But one of Epstein's lawyers, Martin Weinberg, challenged that finding during Tuesday's hearing, saying an expert hired by the defense determined that broken bones in his neck were "more consistent with pressure ... with homicide" than suicide.

"Find out what happened to our client," the lawyer told the judge. "We're quite angry."

When a prosecutor said the manner of Epstein's death was "completely irrelevant to the purpose of today's proceeding," the judge responded: "Well, I don't know. I think it's fair game for defense counsel to raise its concerns."

He defended his decision to let the women speak, saying: "Public hearings promote transparency and provide the court with insights and information that the court might otherwise not be aware of."

At his death, Epstein was being held without bail, accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls in the early 2000s at his mansions in New York and Palm Beach, Florida.

Dr Michael Baden, the pathologist hired by Epstein's representatives to observe the autopsy, said he is awaiting the report from the medical examiner's office before offering his opinion.

Dr Baden was the city's chief medical examiner in the late 1970s and has been called as an expert witness in a number of big cases, including O.J. Simpson's 1994 murder trial.

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