'There’s No Way He Killed Himself': Jeffrey Epstein's Butler for 18 Years Breaks His Silence, Says Twisted Tycoon 'Loved Life Too Much' to Kill Himself and Was Confident of Securing Bail Before He Died
Jeffrey Epstein's personal butler speaks out.
Aug. 10 2025, Published 11:15 a.m. ET
Jeffrey Epstein "loved life too much" to take his own life and was confident he could secure bail before his death, according to his butler of 18 years.
RadarOnline.com can reveal that Valdson Vieira Cotrin, who managed Epstein's Paris residence and also worked as his chauffeur and cook, claimed that he had spoken to the disgraced financier shortly before he died in August 2019. The butler said Epstein had been upbeat and was making plans for the future.
The Epstein files
Donald Trump's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has been heavily scrutinized.
In remarks likely to intensify calls for the release of the so-called Epstein files, Cotrin disputed the official ruling of suicide. He also voiced fears for his own safety.
He said: "I am like his brother [Mark Epstein]. I don't believe this was suicide. He loved life too much."
Cotrin further claimed that Epstein once told him he had been offered a position in Donald Trump's first administration in 2016 but declined. There is no evidence supporting this claim, and Trump has stated he cut ties with Epstein in 2004 after a dispute over a business matter.
Photographs
Bill Clinton allegedly flew on Jeffrey Epstein's plane a number of times.
Cotrin retains several photographs with Epstein’s associates, including an image with former President Bill Clinton aboard the "Lolita Express", Epstein’s private plane. Clinton was subpoenaed this week to testify before a congressional committee investigating Epstein.
The butler also shared a photograph of himself with Epstein taken in January 2019 aboard the financier’s private jet, possibly one of the last pictures of Epstein alive. In the image, Epstein appears puffy but is smiling and wearing an Israel Defense Forces sweatshirt.
Epstein had long faced speculation about ties to Mossad, Israel's intelligence service — a claim his former lawyer said Epstein used to laugh off.
Epstein's death
Valdson Vieira Cotrin worked for Jeffrey Epstein.
Cotrin recalled driving Epstein to Le Bourget Airport in Paris for a flight to New York on July 6, 2019. Upon arrival, Epstein was arrested on charges of sex trafficking underage girls and was held in custody as a potential flight risk. He was found hanged in his Manhattan jail cell on August 10, 2019, at age 66.
According to Cotrin, Epstein was optimistic about negotiating bail. "He was planning to negotiate with the judge in the case to secure bail," he said, adding that the financier was also discussing further investments in his islands — having quietly purchased a second one — and spending more time in Paris.
The chauffeur recalled: "I drove him to Le Bourget airport. It was a Saturday, because on Monday, he was supposed to appear before the judge regarding all these accusations.
"When I got home, two young women rang, his main girlfriend who had been with him officially for several years, Karyna [Shuliak] and another who worked for him. And then they told me, 'Mr Epstein has gone to prison. He arrived in New York. The police were waiting for him.'"
Did Epstein take his own life?
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Jeffrey Epstein died in his New York jail cell.
Maria Gomes de Melo, Cotrin's partner who also knew Epstein well, remembered him telling her before leaving Paris: "I'll be back next week." She said she responded: "Sir, don't go."
She, too, rejected the official account and said: "On the Saturday late, we got the news that he had hanged himself, and honestly, he loved life too much to float away like that."
Epstein's brother, Mark, has also questioned the suicide ruling and commissioned a second autopsy that supported the possibility of homicide.
The U.S. Department of Justice has released nearly 11 hours of surveillance footage from outside Epstein's cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. However, a crucial minute of footage — between 11:58:58 p.m. and midnight — is missing, further fueling speculation that Epstein was murdered to silence him.
