Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, said the convicted pedophile was murdered while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges and fears she might meet the same fate before she can appear in court, according to a friend.
Maxwell’s friend told the U.S. Sun that Ghislaine’s view is that “Epstein was murdered,” and said she has received “death threats” before she was arrested.
Maxwell is behind bars in a Brooklyn, N.Y., detention center, where she will remain until her trial, tentatively scheduled for July 2021. Last week, New York Judge Alison Nathan said the British socialite posed too great a flight risk to be allowed to leave on bail.
She was arrested on July 2 at her New Hampshire estate on charges of sexually abusing and exploiting girls as young as 14 alongside Epstein.
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Maxwell’s friend, who was “in regular contact with Maxwell at her secret New Hampshire hideaway,” claims death threats ahead of her arrest forced Maxwell to hire security guards and led her to believe she, like Epstein, would not live to see her day in court.
Maxwell’s arrest and the details surrounding her case have given the world a glimpse into the life of the woman once considered Epstein’s closest confidant and who has hobnobbed with princes and presidents around the world. Her proximity to Epstein and those he socialized with has made her the target of powerful people who prefer not to have their name associated with Epstein or Maxwell.
Epstein “killed himself” in his jail cell on Aug. 10, 2019, under mysterious circumstances while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Maxwell denies all of the charges against her. If convicted, she faces up to 35 years in jail.
