US Court Unseals Purported Jeffrey Epstein Suicide Note

A US judge has ordered the release of a handwritten document said to have been written by disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein shortly before his death in prison in 2019.

The note, which was unsealed on Wednesday, was reportedly discovered by Epstein’s former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, after Epstein allegedly attempted suicide in July 2019, about a month before he was later found dead in his jail cell.

Authorities ruled Epstein’s death a suicide at the time as he awaited trial on federal sex-trafficking charges, though the case has remained the subject of widespread public scrutiny and conspiracy theories.

According to the newly released court filing, the handwritten note contains several short statements, including: “They investigated me for month – FOUND NOTHING!!!” and “It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye.”

The note also reportedly says: “Watcha want me to do – Bust out cryin!! NO FUN – NOT WORTH IT!”

The document, consisting of just seven handwritten lines, offers limited context and leaves uncertainty about its intended meaning.

The note had previously been sealed as part of criminal proceedings involving Tartaglione, who was being held in the same jail unit as Epstein while awaiting trial for four murders. Tartaglione, a former police officer, was later convicted in the killings.

Epstein had at one point accused Tartaglione of assaulting him in jail, allegations Tartaglione denied. The former inmate publicly discussed the existence of the note during a podcast appearance last year.

Court filings released alongside the note included a May 2021 letter from former Tartaglione attorney John A Wieder, who described the document as “the original” note that US District Judge Kenneth M Karas had ordered submitted to the court.

The United States Department of Justice did not immediately comment on the release of the document.

Epstein, who had longstanding connections to wealthy and influential figures, was arrested in 2019 on charges of sexually exploiting underage girls. His death inside a Manhattan federal jail before trial ended the criminal proceedings against him but intensified public interest in the broader investigation surrounding his associates and activities.