Ghislaine Maxwell says she believes Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in prison

Ghislaine Maxwell has said she believes Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in prison in her first interview from behind bars.

Maxwell, 61, further fuelled conspiracy theories surrounding the disgraced billionaire’s death by disputing the official ruling of suicide.

In an interview broadcast on Talk TV’s the Jeremy Kyle Show, Maxwell declined to apologise to her victims and said they should take their anger out on US authorities for allowing Epstein to die.

“I believe that he was murdered. I was shocked,” she said.

“Then I wondered how it had happened because as far as I was concerned, he was going to... I was sure he was going to appeal. And I was sure he was covered under the non-prosecution agreement.

“I say that Epstein died and they should take their disappointment and upset out on the authorities who allowed that to happen,” she said.

“And as I said I hope they have some closure by the judicial process that took place.”

Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in New York 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges.

His death was officially ruled suicide by medical examiners.

Maxwell was found guilty of the abuse and trafficking of four young girls after a jury trial in New York in December 2021.

She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022, and continues to appeal the verdict and sentence.

During an interview from Tallahassee Federal Correctional Institution with journalist Daphne Barak, Maxwell said she wished she had never met Epstein.

“Clearly my association and the fact that I worked for him and spent time with him and knew him has devastated my life and hurt many people that I’ve loved and hold dear around me,” she told Ms Barak.

“I didn’t know that he was so awful. I mean, obviously now, looking back with hindsight, of course.

“But at the time, I mean he had lots of friends. He was friendly with just about everybody you could imagine. There was no reason to imagine that he was someone who was capable of evil.”

At her trial, prosecutors outlined how Maxwell operated as his enabler in luring vulnerable teenage girls with promises of scholarships, gifts and financial assistance for their families, and coerced them into becoming objects for his sexual gratification.

Victims described during the trial how Maxwell initially came across as a trusting, sisterly figure, who would then work in unison with Epstein to abuse and exploit them.

Maxwell went on to describe her life behind as prisoner 02879-509 in the minimum security facility.

She said that she gets up at 6am and gets breakfast of cereal and a piece of fruit.

Maxwell then makes her bed “military style”, which if not done correctly brings unspecified disciplinary action.

She then head’s to the prison’s law library for where she works helping other inmates with their appeals and release paperwork.

She said that the inmates take lunch at around 10am, and complained about the size of the meals and “beyond tasteless” options.

“The portion control is very odd, and because I'm on a no-meat diet, there's supposed either hummus or cottage cheese or tofu. But mostly, I'd say 95 percent (of the time), it's tofu or beans.”

Maxwell, who once counted Donald Trump and Bill and Hillary Clinton among her friends, was asked about an infamous 2001 photograph of herself with Prince Andrew, and a 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre.

She said she believed it had been faked, adding: “I don’t believe it’s real for a second.”

Ms Giuffre filed a civil sexual assault lawsuit against Andrew on claims he sexually assaulted her when she was 17 – which he vehemently denied.

The duke later paid millions to Ms Giuffre to settle the case out of court.