A suicide note said to have been written by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein remains sealed in a New York courthouse nearly seven years after it was reportedly found by his former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione. The note, allegedly penned on yellow legal pad paper and tucked inside a book, was discovered in July 2019, about two weeks before Epstein died by suicide in his lower Manhattan jail cell.

Tartaglione, a former police officer and convicted quadruple murderer, told The New York Times and others that he found the note after Epstein’s failed suicide attempt on July 23, 2019. Epstein was discovered semi-conscious in his cell with a homemade noose around his neck. After the incident, Epstein initially claimed Tartaglione had attacked him but later said he could not recall what happened. Tartaglione has denied any involvement in harming Epstein.

Describing the note during interviews and in a podcast, Tartaglione said it included lines such as, “‘FBI, you know, looked into me for months and found nothing. What do you want me to do? Cry about it?’” and ended with a farewell: “‘time to say goodbye,’” along with a smiley face. Tartaglione said he handed the note to his lawyers, who authenticated it in early 2020, although details of the authentication process have not been made public. The note was stored in a sealed file as part of Tartaglione’s criminal case, making it inaccessible to investigators and the public.

On Thursday (May 1), The New York Times filed a petition to unseal the note, arguing that public access is warranted given Tartaglione’s own public comments and the significance of the document in understanding Epstein’s state of mind before his death. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas has ordered the involved parties to respond to the unsealing request by May 4.

The Justice Department and federal prosecutors have stated they were not aware of any suicide note written by Epstein, but a two-page chart in Justice Department files referenced the document and confirmed Tartaglione’s lawyer, Bruce Barket, authenticated it. The note is not part of official investigations into Epstein’s death, including the 2023 Inspector General’s report, and does not appear in the Justice Department’s online repository of Epstein-related documents.

At the time of his death, Epstein was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His death on August 10, 2019, was ruled a suicide by the New York Medical Examiner’s Office, though security lapses at the Metropolitan Correctional Center have fueled ongoing speculation and conspiracy theories.

Tartaglione is currently serving four life sentences for murder and is appealing his conviction. The court is expected to address The New York Times’ request to unseal the note in the coming days.

Jack Kratoville