A viral claim that the same doctor autopsied MLK, JFK, Jeffrey Epstein, and George Floyd has ignited speculation among people online.
A tweet was posted on Instagram on June 7 by QTheWakeUp that states the autopsy doctor for George Floyd was the same doctor who did autopsies for Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Jeffrey Epstein.
Is there any truth behind it?
Some commenters expressed their disbelief over the claim, as some deemed it impossible for one person to perform four autopsies of well-known names in a span of 57 years. But there are those who thought that the whole scenario is sinister.
The tweet that was posted on Instagram was from Mike Bravo, a freelance reporter who is known for pushing conspiracy theories on his Twitter account.
In his viral tweet, he included a link to Michael Baden's Wikipedia page, the pathologist who is said to have performed autopsies of the four men.
During his interview with USA TODAY, Bravo said that he sometimes dabble in conspiracies because he finds them fun and he enjoys doing research. Bravo states that Baden was involved in all four cases.
Who is Michael Baden?
Baden is an expert in numerous investigations, including Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Jeffrey Epstein, Kobe Bryant, and George Floyd. Baden testified for the defense in the trial of O.J Simpson in 1995, and that was he was labeled as the celebrity pathologist.
Baden is also a Fox News contributor and hosted his own show in HBO titled "Autopsy." He was also the chief medical examiner in New York City and he is the chairman of the Forensic Pathology Panel.
George Floyd
In 2014, Baden performed the autopsy for Eric Gardner, a black man who was killed by police officers. After 6 years, another black man was murdered by the police. George Floyd was killed by former officer Derek Chauvin by kneeling on his neck.
Both Gardner and Floyd died the same way, they were choked to death by the police. A day after George Floyd's death, Andrew Baker from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office performs the autopsy.
However, the result stated that there were no findings that show strangulation or asphyxia. Instead, the results show THC in his system and claimed he had heart disease.
The public and Floyd's family doubted the results since it was clear in the viral video that Floyd shouted he can't breathe and became unresponsive almost 9 minutes later. The family of Floyd commissioned Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson to perform a second autopsy.
The second autopsy confirmed the suspicion of the public, Floyd died from asphyxia because of the pressure on his back and neck. Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Floyd's family, announced the findings from Baden and Wilson's autopsy through a tweet on June 1.
John F. Kennedy
On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Three pathologists from the military performed his autopsy, they were James Humes, J. Thornton Boswell, and Pierre Finck.
In 1976, the Congress created the House Select Committee on Assassinations to review the deaths of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., the said committee went through government files, scientific evidence, and witness testimony.
Baden was the chairman of the Forensic Pathology Panel in the 1970s. He testified before the committee but clarified that he had no contact with the case and did not perform JFK's autopsy. He only studied and reviewed the case.
Martin Luther King Jr.
On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Jerry Francisco, the medical examiner from Shelby County performed his autopsy. In order to address criticism around the report, the House committee had a panel of three pathologists review the medical evidence in the 1970s.
Baden just served as a spokesman for the panel and concluded that the findings of MLK's autopsy were accurate.
Jeffrey Epstein
Baden did not do Epstein's autopsy but he observed the procedure and consulted Epstein's family. Jeffrey Epstein was a billionaire and registered sex officer who was found dead in his jail cell. He allegedly committed suicide days before he was scheduled to testify in front of the court.
People speculated foul play because Epstein was connected to UK's Prince Andrew, President Donald Trump, and former President Bill Clinton. Barbara Sampson, New York City's chief medical examiner, handled the autopsy of Epstein and she ruled his death as a suicide.
There was evidence of neck injuries, which contributed to the ruling. Epstein's brother hired Baden to observe the autopsy. After the procedure, he expressed his disagreement with the autopsy findings. He said on Fox & Friends in October 2019 that there were findings that are not usual for suicide by hanging.
Even though Baden raised his suspicions over the findings, Sampson stated that there is no need to perform a second autopsy. She stated the original procedure was thorough and complete.
Conclusion
The claim that Michael Baden performed the autopsies for JFK, MLK, Jeffery Epstein, and George Floyd is false. It is because it is not supported by research. Although Baden has connections to all investigations, he only performed the autopsy on Floyd.
