A purported suicide note written by disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein weeks before his death in a New York jail was released publicly on Wednesday after remaining sealed for years as part of unrelated criminal proceedings.
The handwritten document surfaced after a request by The New York Times, with a federal judge ruling there was no legal basis to keep it under seal.
The note, allegedly discovered by Epstein’s former cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione following an earlier suspected suicide attempt in July 2019, contains emotional and cryptic statements, including, “It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye."
The document was released by US District Judge Kenneth Karas of the Southern District of New York.
NOTE RELEASED AFTER YEARS UNDER SEAL
According to Reuters, the note was unsealed after The New York Times requested access to the document last week.
Judge Karas ruled that the note qualified as a judicial document because it had been submitted in connection with Tartaglione’s criminal case and therefore fell under the public’s right of access.
Karas stated in his ruling that “No party has identified any competing consideration that would justify sealing the Note."
Reuters reported that while the judge ordered the release, he did not authenticate the note or verify its chain of custody, instead treating those issues as irrelevant to the decision to unseal it.
The Associated Press reported that prosecutors did not oppose the request to release the document.
The note had reportedly been locked in a courthouse vault for years amid disputes tied to Tartaglione’s legal representation.
CONTENTS OF THE PURPORTED LETTER
The handwritten message, scrawled on yellow-lined paper, contains fragmented statements and references to investigations into Epstein.
The note reads in part, “They investigated me for months — Found NOTHING!!!" before adding, “It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye."
The document concludes with the lines, “Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! No fun — NOT WORTH IT!!"
Reuters reported that the note also references “15 year old charges," an apparent reference to Epstein’s earlier criminal case in Florida, where he pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor.
LINK TO FAILED SUICIDE ATTEMPT
The note allegedly surfaced after Epstein was found injured in his Manhattan jail cell on July 23, 2019, with marks around his neck in what authorities later described as a suspected suicide attempt.
AFP reported that the letter was purportedly hidden inside a graphic novel before being found.
AP reported that Epstein had been discovered on the floor of the shared cell with a strip of bedsheet around his neck roughly three weeks before his eventual death.
Jail records cited by the agency said officers found him breathing heavily but responsive.
According to AP, one correctional officer documented at the time that Epstein claimed Tartaglione had attempted to kill him.
However, subsequent interviews conducted by jail personnel showed Epstein later saying he had no issues with his cellmate and did not want “to make up something that isn’t there."
Tartaglione similarly told officials that he had no problems with Epstein and believed his cellmate was suffering a heart attack because his eyes were open and he appeared to be snoring, AP reported.
QUESTIONS REMAIN OVER EPSTEIN’S DEATH
Epstein died on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls in New York and Florida.
Authorities ruled his death a suicide.
Reuters noted that Epstein was without a cellmate when he was later found dead at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Manhattan.
AFP reported that despite the official ruling, persistent doubts have continued because of security lapses at the jail and missing CCTV footage.
AP separately cited government findings that correctional staff failed to properly monitor Epstein, with some officers allegedly browsing the internet or sleeping instead of conducting required checks.
The Associated Press also reported that Epstein had initially been placed on suicide watch following the July 23 incident before later being moved to psychiatric observation.
Jail records quoted by AP said Epstein denied trying to harm himself, telling a psychologist that suicide violated his Jewish faith and that he disliked pain.
