The latest true crime documentary to hit Netflix is Trust No One: The Hunt For The Crypto King. ‘Trust No One’ chronicles Gerald ‘Gerry’ Cotten’s meteoric ascension to the top of the Bitcoin world and subsequent spectacular fall, leaving his reputation tainted. However, there have been countless claims and conspiracy theories claiming Cotten is still alive since his death.
After introducing QuadrigaCX, a location where investors could purchase and sell cryptocurrency, Gerald Cotten became the talk of the cryptocurrency community in Canada. The young entrepreneur appeared to be at the pinnacle of his career, touring the world with his wife, Jennifer, and living a jet-set lifestyle.
However, Gerald’s untimely death in December 2018 and the circumstances surrounding it aroused much curiosity, with some believing he staged his own death.
‘Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King,’ a Netflix documentary, tells the story of Gerry and the money that Quadriga’s consumers had placed on the platform. So, if you’re curious about Gerry’s death and why so many people believe he faked it, we’ve got you covered.
Gerald Cotten: What Happened to Him?
In December 2018, Gerry and Jennifer were on their honeymoon in Jaipur, India. The couple was planning to create an orphanage in that country at the time. They were staying in a hotel in Jaipur, India, when Gerry developed a severe stomach ache just a few days into their vacation. The 30-year-old was brought to a nearby hospital in the evening of December 8, 2018.
After being diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis, Gerry spent the night in a separate room at the hospital. However, his condition deteriorated the next afternoon, with blood tests revealing septic shock.
For a long time, Gerry had been suffering from Crohn’s disease, a digestive disorder that caused inflammation. Gerry went into cardiac arrest at about 2:45 p.m. on December 9; he was revived twice and placed on a ventilator. However, at around 7:26 p.m., he died of a third heart arrest. Crohn’s disease complications were listed as the cause of death.
TRUST NO ONE: THE HUNT FOR THE CRYPTO KING
Follow a group of investors turned sleuths as they try to unlock the suspicious death of cryptocurrency multimillionaire Gerry Cotten and the missing $250 million they believe he stole from them. Premieres in 2022 pic.twitter.com/rP9iFJHkWm— Netflix (@netflix) September 23, 2021
Is Gerald Cotten Really Dead or Still Alive?
There was no autopsy performed after Gerry died, and his body was returned to the hotel. However, the embalming process caused some confusion because the embalmer originally refused to take the body.
After all, it was hotel personnel who made the request. Gerry’s body was then transported to a nearby medical institution, where an embalming certificate was obtained. Jennifer returned to Nova Scotia, Canada, not long after.
However, Gerry’s death was not announced for another month, and QuadrigaCX went about its business as usual throughout that period. Customers who attempted to withdraw monies from the site after the information became public were unable to do so.
Jennifer stated that she had no access to the cold wallets that housed the cryptocurrency externally as time passed, and the money failed to materialise. As a result, creditors with a large stake in Gerry’s murder began to investigate the events leading up to his death.
They suspected the circumstances were odd enough that he may have staged his own death in order to keep all of the money. While the assets of QuadrigaCX had been frozen for about $25 million, the money was restored to the company just days before he died. Gerry had also written his will less than two weeks before he died, transferring all of his assets to Jennifer.
To make matters worse, Gerry had a history of fraud, and the company’s co-founder had a history of fraud as well. Back in India, the gastroenterologist explained that without an autopsy, he couldn’t be certain of the diagnosis.
Medical specialists also observed that Crohn’s illness (type of inflammatory bowel disease – IBD) has a low fatality rate, but Gerry’s death could have been caused by a perforated bowel. Gerry’s name was misspelt on the death certificate, sparking speculation about its legitimacy and the ease with which false documents might be purchased in India.
Some speculated that Gerry’s decision to take flying lessons was a method for him to prepare for a life on the run. There was even talk of a “Haitian zombie powder” that might be used to fool people into thinking they were dead. Gerry’s body was excavated to confirm his death due to a mix of suspicious circumstances and speculations.
“Some people believe Gerald is still alive, somewhere – he’s at the beach, sipping a Mai Tai; he’s profiting from all of the millions stolen from investors,” a journalist said. Exhuming the body would be a significant step as well. For some, it would be a type of closure.”
That request, however, has yet to be fulfilled. Despite this, there has been no evidence that Gerry is still alive. While the circumstances suggest foul play, Gerry had been suffering from Crohn’s illness for some time and died suddenly and unexpectedly.
Gerry was eventually accused of running a Ponzi scam and utilising consumers’ money to make hazardous bitcoin trading on other exchanges. On his platform, the 30-year-old made bogus accounts and used them to trade fake Bitcoin for real money and digital currency.
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What Happened to Quadriga CX?
QuadrigaCX went bankrupt in 2019, leaving more than 76,000 Canadian and international investors out of pocket for at least $169 million. The OSC issued a report claiming that the crypto firm was a Ponzi scheme after a ten-month examination.
“Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King” is currently available exclusively on Netflix.
