Possible Epstein Note Made Public Years After Jail Incident
A federal judge has released a handwritten note allegedly connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s first suspected suicide attempt in jail, making public a document that had been sealed for years.
The note, which has not been authenticated, was allegedly found by Epstein’s former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, after Epstein was discovered semiconscious in their Manhattan federal jail cell on July 23, 2019.
Epstein was found with marks on his neck and what officials described as a strip of bedsheet or cloth around his neck. Less than three weeks later, Epstein was found dead in his cell on Aug. 10, 2019, in what authorities concluded was a suicide.
Judge Orders Release After Media Request
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas in White Plains, New York, ordered the note released after The New York Times asked the court to unseal it along with other documents tied to Tartaglione’s case. Federal prosecutors did not oppose the request.
The note had been sealed as part of a separate legal dispute involving Tartaglione, a former police officer who is now serving a life sentence after being convicted in the killings of four men.
What The Note Said
The short handwritten note is difficult to read in some places. According to the released document, it begins, “They investigated me for month — found nothing!!!”
The note also appears to reference older charges and includes the line, “It is a treat to be able to choose” the “time to say goodbye.” It continues, “Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!!”
The note ends with “NO FUN” and “NOT WORTH IT!!”
Questions Remain Over Who Wrote It
It remains unclear who wrote the note Tartaglione said he found. The document was not included in lengthy government reports examining Epstein’s death, and it did not appear in the Justice Department’s recent release of files related to Epstein.
According to NBC News, Tartaglione’s former attorney said the legal team never formally authenticated the note, though they believed it may have been Epstein’s based partly on similarities to another alleged Epstein note previously reported by CBS.
Epstein Was Placed On Suicide Watch After July Incident
After the July 23 incident, Epstein was placed on suicide watch for 31 hours before being downgraded to psychiatric observation. Jail records cited in the AP report said Epstein denied trying to harm himself and told a jail psychologist that suicide went against his Jewish faith and that he did not like pain.
Records also show Epstein initially told one officer he believed Tartaglione had tried to kill him, but later said he had no issues with Tartaglione and did not want to make up something that was not there. Tartaglione said he thought Epstein may have been having a heart attack when he found him.
Federal Investigators Pointed To Jail Failures
Epstein was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges when he died. Federal investigators later cited a series of failures by jail staff at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, including officers sleeping and browsing the internet when they were supposed to be checking on him.
Officials also said a separate handwritten note found in Epstein’s cell after his death did not appear to be a suicide note. Instead, it reportedly listed complaints about jail conditions, including food, showers and bugs.
