A suicide note supposedly written by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was released Wednesday, with a federal judge unsealing the document in criminal proceedings for Epstein’s former cellmate.
Key Facts
- The note was allegedly written before a July 2019 incident that left Epstein unresponsive and was treated as an attempted suicide.
- The note was sealed for seven years, according to a New York Times report from last week that found the document was locked in a New York courthouse as part of a criminal case for Epstein’s former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione.
- Tartaglione said he discovered the note in 2019 within a graphic novel he shared with Epstein, coming across it after Epstein was found in his cell with “bruising around the neck,” the Times reported.
- The Times said it petitioned the court to unseal the document last week.
What does the alleged suicide not say?
“They investigated me for month[s] — Found NOTHING!!!” the document said, noting “old charges” that dated back years. “It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye. Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! NO FUN—NOT WORTH IT.”
Key Background
Three weeks after his purported suicide attempt in July 2019, Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell and was pronounced dead at the age of 66. The New York City medical examiner determined the cause of death was suicide by hanging—a conclusion shared by the FBI, which found no evidence of foul play as conspiracy theories circulated that surveillance footage was purposefully missing from the night Epstein died. The “missing” minute of video was found and released by the House Oversight Committee in September 2025, showing “nothing notable or unusual,” according to a CBS News analysis. Epstein was pronounced dead as he awaited charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. The Justice Department said in a 2023 report “negligence, misconduct, and outright job performance failures” on the part of prison staff enabled Epstein to commit suicide.
This story was originally published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
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