A federal judge in New York unsealed a purported suicide note attributed to Jeffrey Epstein on Wednesday, reigniting public interest in the circumstances of the financier's death nearly seven years ago.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas of the Southern District of New York ordered the release of the undated, unsigned, and unverified handwritten document during proceedings related to Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein's former cellmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. The note, written on a piece of yellow paper torn from a legal pad, was found by Tartaglione inside a graphic novel shortly after Epstein's apparent suicide attempt on July 23, 2019.

Epstein, the convicted sex offender awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges, was discovered semiconscious in the cell with a strip of cloth around his neck that day. He initially told jail officials that Tartaglione had attacked him, but later recanted, saying he had no issues with his cellmate and denying suicidal intent. Epstein was removed from suicide watch days later and died by suicide on August 10, 2019, according to the New York City medical examiner, amid reports of jail security failures.

Tartaglione, a former Briarcliff Manor police officer accused of quadruple murder in a drug-related case, shared the cell with Epstein while awaiting trial. He was convicted in 2023 and is serving four consecutive life sentences from a California prison, where he continues to appeal his conviction. Tartaglione gave the note to his lawyers, believing it could counter any claims that he had harmed Epstein. He recently described finding it to The New York Times: "I opened the book to read and there it was."

The note expresses frustration over investigations into Epstein that yielded old charges: "They investigated me for months, FOUND NOTHING!!!" It includes philosophical resignation: "It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye." Other lines read: "Watcha want me to do, Bust out cryin!!" and "NO FUN" underlined, followed by "NOT WORTH IT!!"

The document surfaced publicly after The New York Times petitioned Judge Karas on April 30, 2026, following an article detailing Tartaglione's account. The U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan, which prosecuted Tartaglione, did not oppose unsealing, noting in a letter "a strong public interest in the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death." A Justice Department review of millions of released Epstein records found no copy of the note, and a spokeswoman confirmed the agency had never seen it.

Neither the Times nor authorities have authenticated the handwriting as Epstein's. The release does not alter the official suicide ruling but comes amid persistent questions fueled by jail lapses and conspiracy theories about Epstein's death. The note had remained sealed even as federal transparency efforts disclosed vast Epstein files last fall.