A federal judge has made public a suicide note allegedly authored by Jeffrey Epstein, which had been kept under seal for several years during the criminal proceedings of his former cellmate.
The note, which was written on a piece of yellow paper torn from a legal pad, starts with the assertion: “They investigated me for month – FOUND NOTHING!!!”.
It further states, “It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye,” and asks, “Watcha want me to do – Bust out cryin!!”. The document concludes with the underlined words, “NO FUN. NOT WORTH IT!!”.
Nicholas Tartaglione, a former police officer from Briarcliff Manor, New York, claimed to have discovered the note in July 2019 within the pages of a graphic novel. reports New York Times.
At the time, Tartaglione was sharing a cell with Epstein at the now-closed Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Lower Manhattan while awaiting trial for a quadruple murder.
According to Tartaglione, he found the paper after Epstein had been removed from their cell following an initial apparent suicide attempt. Epstein survived that particular incident but was found dead in his cell weeks later at the age of 66, a death the New York City medical examiner ruled a suicide.
Judge Kenneth M. Karas of the Federal District Court in White Plains, New York, ordered the unsealing of the note on Wednesday. This action followed a petition filed by The New York Times last Thursday to make the document public.
The note had previously been entangled in a protracted legal dispute involving Tartaglione’s legal team and was kept under seal to maintain attorney-client privilege. Although the Justice Department recently released millions of documents related to Epstein under a new law, this specific note was not included, and a spokeswoman for the department stated the agency had never seen it.
While The New York Times has not independently authenticated the note, it contains specific phrases such as “bust out cryin” and “No fun” that Epstein reportedly used in previous emails and in a separate note found at the time of his death.
A cryptic two-page chronology found in other records indicated that Tartaglione’s lawyers had authenticated the document, though it did not explain the method used.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan did not oppose the release of the note, acknowledging in a letter to the judge that there is a “strong public interest in the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death”. Inga Parsons, an appellate attorney for Tartaglione, also stated there was no objection to the release.
Following the July incident that left marks on Epstein’s neck, Epstein initially claimed Tartaglione had attacked him, though he later told jail officials he “never had any issues” with his cellmate.
Tartaglione, who has long denied any assault, said he provided the note to his lawyers to defend against those earlier allegations.
Currently serving four life sentences following a 2023 conviction, Tartaglione continues to maintain his innocence and has appealed his case.
