Jeffrey Epstein's alleged suicide note released

2026-05-07 14:32:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A US judge has ordered the release of a document purported to be a suicide note written by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein a month before his death.

A copy of the handwritten note, revealed on Wednesday, mentions a months-long investigation that "found nothing" and says "it's a pleasure to be able to choose the time to say goodbye."

Epstein's former cellmate claims he found the note hidden in a book after Epstein tried to kill himself in July 2019. Epstein was found dead in his cell a month later.

The BBC has not verified whether the note was written by Epstein, and US authorities have not commented.

His death, which was ruled a suicide by authorities, occurred while he was awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

The alleged note was sealed as part of criminal proceedings involving former cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione, who was being held in the cell at the time while awaiting trial for four murders.

Tartaglione is a former police officer convicted of quadruple murder who was once accused by Epstein of assaulting him, which he denied. He first mentioned the existence of the note last year in a podcast.

A scan of the note in the court document, revealed Tuesday, shows a handwritten sentence that reads: "They investigated me for a month - THEY FOUND NOTHING!!!" and mentions charges dating back several years.

"It's a pleasure to be able to choose the time to say goodbye," the note says.

"What do you want me to do - I'll burst into tears!!" he continues. "NO FUN - IT'S NOT WORTH IT."

The note consists of only seven lines of text, leaving uncertainty over its supposed meaning.

Jeffrey Epstein's alleged suicide note released

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment.

A Justice Department spokesperson previously told NBC News in a statement that the department had not seen the memo. They highlighted the Justice Department's "comprehensive effort" to collect and release millions of other Epstein-related files in recent months.

The note was accompanied by a May 2021 letter filed in court by John A Wieder, a former attorney for Tartaglione. The attorney described the note as the “original document” that federal Judge Kenneth M Karas ordered to be given to the court at the time.

The New York Times had asked the judge in White Plains, New York, to unseal the memo, arguing that there was no need to keep it secret. The newspaper was also seeking other documents that the judge had not ruled on.

Federal prosecutors have also sought the release of the note, saying there was no longer a compelling interest in keeping it sealed and that Tartaglione's public statements regarding the note "constitute a waiver of the need for continued sealing."

In his order to unseal the note on Wednesday, Judge Karas concluded that the note is "subject to the presumption of public access."

“The Court concludes with conviction that public access to the Note promotes ‘a measure of accountability,’ as well as ensures that the public ‘will have confidence in the administration of justice,’” Karas wrote.

He added that the court agrees that Tartaglione's repeated public discussion of the contents of the note "constitutes a waiver of attorney-client privilege with respect to the document" and that sealing is not justified on that basis.

Security failures at the prison on the night of Epstein's death were identified in a federal report and there has been a steady stream of speculation about how he died./CNA, translated by BBC