Late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein “trusted” him with his life, lawyer David Schoen says on NewsNation Tuesday about meeting the billionaire days before his death. and expressed doubts about the suicide verdict.

Mr. Schoen appeared on “Cuomo” to discuss his interactions with the disgraced billionaire, focusing on the days when he last saw Mr. Epstein before his death. The lawyer said Epstein had been in touch with him for 12 years before his death, and that they had been in touch “through mutual friends” to discuss “some advice before going to prison.”

Schoen later said he didn't hear from Epstein “very much” until “the year before he died,” stressing that the billionaire began contacting him “regularly to review the lawyer's work.” Mr. Schoen went on to say that Mr. Epstein asked him to “take over all the litigation,” but that Mr. Schoen declined and only continued to advise him. (Related: Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre says she 'never saw' President Trump 'involved' in anything involving Jeffrey Epstein, docu-show)

Mr. Schoen said Mr. Epstein's “in-house lawyer” continued to call him afterward, and Mr. Epstein said that Mr. Schoen was “the only person” the billionaire “trusted with his life.” said. The lawyer recalled meeting Mr. Epstein nine days before his death and plans to potentially take over Mr. Epstein's case.

“In the weeks that followed, his in-house lawyer kept calling me and saying that Epstein kept wanting to meet with me. Frankly, he told me that he was “the only person in the world that Epstein trusted with his life.'' I was very happy when he said, “I'm the only one.'' And I finally agreed to meet him,” Shane said.

“So anyway, I agreed to meet him. I met him on August 1st and spent about five hours with him,” Shane said. “Finally, he and I met alone. We were interrupted by a prison psychologist or psychiatrist who wanted to see him. They had a nice meeting for 5-10 minutes and I came back. We discussed future strategies. If I were to take over this case…I had already assembled my team because I understood from my in-house lawyer that Epstein wanted me to take over and fight this case. I said, “I'd be happy to do it.'' ”

The lawyer then cited two reasons why he believed Epstein “did not commit suicide” and “might” have committed suicide, including a conversation with the pedophile's “local attorney” and a mission given to him by the billionaire himself. emphasized. Schoen also mentioned pathologist Michael Baden, who was hired by the billionaire's family to examine Epstein's autopsy. (Related: Judge Loretta Preska orders redacting of Epstein Island images mistakenly released by court)

“I have publicly stated that I believe he may have been murdered rather than committed suicide,” Schoen said. “I base it on two things. Anecdotally, I met him nine days before he died. We had a strategy for fighting this case. The next day, one of his local attorneys called me and told me how excited he was and asked if I would be willing to take on his bail appeal.”

“Epstein gave me a job that had nothing to do with the case. But more orders were placed on his financial affairs, which had no meaning other than looking to the future. I heard from people who met with him the day before he died that he was giving instructions based on a strategy that we had devised. It doesn't seem like someone would commit suicide the next day, but it happens.”

“The other thing I base it off of is just my interaction with Michael Baden,” Schoen said. “I consider him the best forensic pathologist in the world…but in any case, as he told me and said publicly, he has done thousands of cases. During the autopsy, he said he had never seen any wounds consistent with suicide. And he was also struck by the fact that the coroner who took part in the examination deemed it inconclusive at the time and reached the conclusion of suicide just a few days later without any additional evidence. . ”

Epstein was found in his cell at the New York Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019, and the coroner ruled his death a suicide. Many celebrities, including Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson, have criticized the ruling, questioning whether Epstein's death was a homicide.