Jeffrey Epstein was MURDERED with body showing ‘tell tale signs’ of being strangled, top forensic pathologist claims

A TOP pathologist who worked on the OJ Simpson case has sensationally claimed billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in prison.

New York City’s former chief medical examiner Dr Michael Baden believes the shamed tycoon did not kill himself and was most likely strangled.

Dr Baden said if it turns out Epstein was murdered “a number of people would have to be involved.”

He was hired by Epstein’s family to observe his autopsy after the shamed financier was found hanged in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.

The respected expert now suspects foul play, even though the current chief medical examiner Dr Barbara Sampson announced in August the death was a “suicide”.

“I think that the evidence points toward homicide rather than suicide,” Baden.

He said there were worrying signs “from day one” of the autopsy claiming the bone injuries found were more indicative of homicide strangulation.

“Hanging does not cause these broken bones. Homicide does,” the 85-year-old added.

While there’s not enough information to be conclusive yet, the neck fractures were “rare” said Baden, who’s probed cases involving OJ, JFK and Martin Luther King.

Baden, who examined more than 20,000 bodies during his career, explained if a person weighed 120lbs and their head weighed 10lbs, there would be 110lbs of pressure on the neck at the jaw during a hanging.

However if someone put a hand around a person’s neck and squeezed, that could double or even triple the pressure on the neck, he revealed

There were also haemorrhages in Epstein’s eyes that were common in homicidal strangulation and uncommon, though not unheard of, in suicidal hangings, the former forensic pathologist said.

“The prominent haemorrhage in the soft tissues of the neck next to the fractures is evidence of a fresh neck compression that could have caused the death,” Baden said.

“It appears that this could have been a mistake. There’s evidence here of homicide that should be investigated, to see if it is or isn’t homicide.”

He also pointed to the supposed “total breakdown in security” around Epstein’s cell, saying it would be “extremely unlikely” two guards would fall asleep while video cameras were not working.

“This is bizarre,” he said. “It deserves investigation.

Epstein’s shock death came two weeks after he was placed on suicide watch when he was found nearly unconscious in his cell with injuries to his neck.

During his autopsy, Epstein was found to have broken his hyoid bone, which is near the Adam’s apple in men, according to the Washington Post.

Although hyoid breaks can occur during a hanging, experts told the paper the fracture is more common in strangulation victims.

Law enforcement officials confirmed on August 10 he had taken his own life at the Metropolitan Correctional Center , which is where he had been held pending a trial on child sex-trafficking charges.