Another associate of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell has been found dead of an apparent suicide in their prison cell. Jean-Luc Brunel died of a reported suicide in La Sante prison in Paris, where he was being held on charges connected to sexual assault of minors.
The 74-year-old former modeling agent was arrested in Dec. 2020 after attempting to board a flight to Senegal at Charles De Gaulle airport. At the time of his death, Brunel was awaiting a court date for the charges against him. He landed behind bars after being released under judicial supervision in November, returning shortly as the investigation continued.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Virginia Giuffre named Brunel as a “main complainant” in Jeffrey Epstein’s prosecution during the infamous sex offender’s trial. Giuffre, who just won a settlement in her lawsuit against Prince Andrew connected to the sex crimes, claimed she had sex with the French agent as a minor, joining a list of many others to fall prey to the infamous group of associates. She tweeted about Brunel’s death on Saturday after news broke.
“The suicide of Jean-Luc Brunel, who abused me and countless girls and young women, ends another chapter,” Giuffre wrote. “I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to face him in a final trial to hold him accountable, but gratified that I was able to testify in person last year to keep him in prison.”
The death of Brunel mirrors Epstein’s suicide back in August 2019, though the death raised many questions given the powerful names connected to the infamous financier. The suicide also brings attention back to Maxwell following her conviction on sex trafficking charges back in December. While she is still awaiting her sentence, she faces 65 years in federal prison, with many predicting she could begin to cooperate with authorities to avoid her full sentence.
According to the New York Post, Maxwell’s brother Ian is concerned that his sister faces peril in her cell in the wake of another suicide stemming from the crimes. “It’s really shocking,” Maxwell said to The Post. “Another death by hanging in a high-security prison. My reaction is one of total shock and bewilderment.” He adds that he “fears for her safety” as she sits in alleged terrible conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
“Despite the psychiatrist advising to the contrary, she was deemed a suicide risk and they are continuing to wake her up every 15 minutes in the night,” Maxwell continued. “It’s a complete violation of prisoner rights and human rights.”
Ghislaine Maxwell is currently seeking a retrial after a juror from her first trial revealed to the media that their own sexual abuse experience, claiming it influenced the guilty verdict and now the hours of testimony on sex crimes. It remains to be seen if this will succeed.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.