Records shed light on Jeffrey Epstein’s state of mind in jail in days before death

Documents show disgraced financier tried to connect with Larry Nassar and underscore failings by federal prison agency

Two weeks before ending his life, Jeffrey Epstein sat in the corner of his Manhattan jail cell with his hands over his ears, desperate to muffle the sound of a toilet that wouldn't stop running.

Epstein was agitated and unable to sleep, jail officials observed in records newly obtained by the Associated Press. He called himself a coward" and complained he was struggling to adapt to life behind bars following his July 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges - his life of luxury reduced to a concrete and steel cage.