Judge releases note cellmate says he found after Epstein’s suspected suicide attempt – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Pixabay)
New York – A federal judge has unsealed a short handwritten note that Jeffrey Epstein’s former cellmate said he discovered after the financier was found on the floor of their shared cell with a strip of bedsheet around his neck in July 2019. The document, kept under seal for years as part of an unrelated criminal case, became public Wednesday following a request from The New York Times. Prosecutors raised no objection to the disclosure.
The Note’s Text and Its Discovery
The note, written in uneven handwriting, reads in part: “They investigated me for month – found nothing!!!” It continues with the line “It is a treat to be able to choose” the “time to say goodbye,” followed by “Watcha want me to do – Bust out cryin!!” The final underlined words state “NO FUN” and “NOT WORTH IT!!” Nicholas Tartaglione, a former police officer serving a life sentence for four murders, told a podcast last year that he found the note inside a book after the July 23 incident at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Jail records show Epstein had friction marks on his neck and was placed on suicide watch for 31 hours before being moved to psychiatric observation. Tartaglione later told his lawyer about the note four days after the event, and it was entered as evidence in his own case before being sealed.
Events Surrounding the July 2019 Incident
Epstein and Tartaglione had shared the cell for roughly two weeks after Epstein’s July 6 arrest on sex-trafficking charges. On July 23, officers found Epstein unresponsive on the floor. One officer reported that Epstein later claimed Tartaglione had tried to kill him. Tartaglione, however, told investigators he thought Epstein was having a heart attack because his eyes were open and he appeared to be snoring. Both men were questioned again on July 31. Epstein told a jail psychologist he had never had issues with his cellmate and denied any threats. He also stated that suicide was against his Jewish religion and that he was a “coward” who did not like pain. Tartaglione said the two kept conversations to a minimum and reported no problems between them.
The Path to Public Release
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas in White Plains weighed privacy concerns before ordering the note unsealed. In his ruling, he noted that privacy interests of a deceased person such as Epstein “are vastly reduced” under existing case law. The note had remained in a courthouse vault since it was submitted in Tartaglione’s legal-representation dispute and was never referenced in the government’s official reports on Epstein’s death. Tartaglione was convicted in 2023 and is now serving his sentence at a federal prison in California. He has petitioned President Donald Trump for a pardon. Epstein was later found dead in the same facility on Aug. 10, 2019, in what authorities ruled a suicide. Officials recovered a separate handwritten note from his cell at that time, but it listed grievances about jail conditions rather than any farewell message.
