New York: A purported suicide note written by disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been unsealed by a federal judge in New York, nearly seven years after his death in a Manhattan jail cell, reigniting public scrutiny over one of the most controversial criminal cases in recent US history.
The handwritten note, reportedly discovered in 2019 by Epstein’s former cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione, was released following a petition by The New York Times seeking to unseal court records. US District Judge Kenneth Karas ruled there was no sufficient legal basis to keep the document under seal.
According to court filings and media reports, the note was written on a yellow legal pad and included phrases such as, “They investigated me for months — FOUND NOTHING!!! It is a treat to be able to choose one’s
time to say goodbye. Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! NO FUN. NOT WORTH IT!!”
The document is believed to have been written after Epstein’s first apparent suicide attempt in July 2019, weeks before he was found dead inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York on August 10, 2019. Authorities officially ruled his death a suicide by hanging.
Tartaglione, who was sharing a jail cell with Epstein at the time, claimed he found the note hidden inside a book after Epstein was discovered injured in the cell. The note later became part of legal proceedings connected to Tartaglione’s criminal case and remained sealed in a courthouse vault for years.
The authenticity of the note has not been independently verified by federal authorities, though Tartaglione’s lawyers reportedly used handwriting experts to examine the document. The note was also not included in official Justice Department investigations into Epstein’s death.
Epstein’s death has long fueled conspiracy theories because of his extensive connections to wealthy and powerful individuals, as well as reported lapses in jail security on the night he died. Multiple official investigations, however, have maintained that Epstein died by suicide.