Jeffrey Epstein’s mental state appeared to unravel in the days before he was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell, with new records describing the disgraced financier as restless, paranoid and struggling to cope behind bars.
According to documents obtained by The Associated Press, Epstein grew increasingly agitated during the final two weeks of his stay at the federal lockup. Jail staff said he could not sleep and seemed constantly on edge.
At times, Epstein reportedly sat alone in the corner of his cell with his hands clamped over his ears, trying to block out the sound of a running toilet.
He also called himself a ‘coward’ and complained that he was having trouble adapting to prison life, the documents show.
Days earlier, Epstein had been placed on psychological observation after an apparent suicide attempt that left his neck bruised and scraped. He was put under watch for the next 36 hours.
But after the monitoring period ended, Epstein insisted he was not suicidal. He told a jail psychologist he had a ‘wonderful life’ and said he would be ‘crazy’ to end it, according to the jail records.
Epstein was ultimately found unresponsive around 6:30 a.m. during a breakfast check by two Special Housing Unit officers.
