The US justice system reveals an alleged suicide note by Jeffrey Epstein, hidden for years

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release of what authorities describe as a possible suicide note linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The handwritten document, which remains undated and without official verification, turned up in court filings related to Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein's former cellmate and convicted quadruple murderer.  He claimed to have found the note hidden inside a book in 2019. The note begins with the sentence, "They investigated me for months — FOUND NOTHING!!!" It continues, "So 15 year old charges resulted. It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye," before adding, "Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! NO FUN. NOT WORTH IT!!"

As Tartaglione testified, he found the document shortly after Epstein's first reported suicide attempt in July 2019. At the time, Epstein had denied having suicidal thoughts and, according to several media outlets, the sex offender told a psychologist, "I have no interest in killing myself." The single-page note offers few details about Epstein's mental state or motivations, and authorities have not confirmed that he actually wrote it. One sentence in the brief message is partially illegible because one word cannot be deciphered, and the document does not include Epstein's signature.

The decision to declassify the note followed The New York Times's revelation of its existence in a story published last week and its request to a federal court in New York to make it public. Epstein died in prison on Aug. 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The New York medical examiner determined that his death was a suicide by hanging, a conclusion later supported by the  Department of Justice. 

Despite those findings, Epstein's death became the subject of numerous conspiracy theories on the Internet. However, last July, both the DOJ and the FBI reaffirmed that Epstein died by suicide, even as speculation about the case continued to circulate publicly.