A trove of 4,000 pages of documents obtained by the Associated Press offers a fresh glimpse into Jeffrey Epstein's declining mental heath in the weeks before what was presented the disgraced financier-turned-pedophile's suicide.
Among others, it transpired that shortly before he hanged himself in his cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, Jeffrey Epstein wrote a letter to a fellow high-profile pedophile, doctor Larry Nassar of the US gymnastics team, who spent decades sexually abusing young girls. The letter was discovered unopened with a "return to sender" notice.
While the newly received documents didn't feature the contents of the letter, they offered a glimpse into the convicted pedophile's mental and physical state and behavior leading up to his suicide on August 9, 2019.
Depression and Medical Complaints
Among others, Epstein is said have been struggling to adapt to life as a prisoner despite arduous efforts to do so. Nevertheless, prisoner officials said that weeks before the apparent suicide, the 66-year-old was sitting with a "vacant expression" on his face in the corner of his cell, seemingly plagued by the endless sound of gushing water from a broken toilet.
According to his medical records, Epstein was suffering from sleep apnea, constipation, hypertension, lower back pain and prediabetes. He had also previously been treated for chlamydia. During his health screening he revealed that he'd had more than 10 female sexual partners within the last five years.
Epstein is also said to have complained about having to wear an orange jumpsuit like a "bad guy" despite being well-behaved, and asked if he could wear a brown uniform during regular visits from lawyers.
The very night before his death, Epstein reportedly excused himself from a meeting with his lawyers, citing the need to make a phone call to his mother, who had been dead for 15 years.
An official memo listed the prospect of losing his social status as a result of the trial, the lack of interpersonal connections and the idea of potentially spending his life in prison among factors contributing to Epstein's suicide.
The disgraced financier's mental state took a turn for the worse when a judge denied him bail in July, 2019, sending him behind bars ahead of his trial, where he was facing up to 45 years in prison if convicted on sex trafficking charges.
Who Was Jeffrey Epstein?
Epstein started his career in New York City as a math teacher, but switched to investment banking before founding his own firm, J. Epstein and Co, in 1982, whose services he specifically marketed to companies and individuals with assets above $1 billion. His company operated from the US Virgin Islands for tax reasons. At the time of his death, his personal wealth was over $577 million.
Epstein died in a New York prison cell on August 10, pending trial. It happened more than a decade after his first conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, for which he was registered as a sex offender.
In the latter case, he was accused of running a "vast network" of underage girls for sex, yet pleaded not guilty.
In the past, the 66-year-old socialized with royals such as Prince Andrew, former presidents such as Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, and entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates.
However, the circumstances of his death continue to rouse distrust and suspicion, prompting the evergreen meme "Epstein didn't kill himself." The guards responsible for watching over Epstein the night he died, reportedly both fell asleep during a two hour window while sitting at a desk just meters away from Epstein's cell. Both were charged with lying on prison log records, but entered prosecution deals that implied that charges would be dropped.