District Judge Kenneth Karas unsealed a purported suicide note written by Jeffrey Epstein on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, marking the first public release of the document nearly seven years after the disgraced financier's death. The one-page note, written on lined paper, was released in response to a legal petition from the New York Times.
The five-sentence note reads in part: "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!!" The authenticity of the document has not been independently verified, and the Department of Justice confirmed Thursday that the note has not yet been authenticated.
Nicholas Tartaglione, a former officer in the Briarcliff Manor Police Department in Westchester County, New York, claims he discovered the note while sharing a cell with Epstein at the now-closed Metropolitan Correctional Center. The two men were cellmates for approximately two weeks in July 2019, shortly after Epstein's arrest on federal sex trafficking charges.
According to Tartaglione, he found the note in one of his books following an incident in which Epstein was discovered unconscious in their cell with marks on his neck. A 2023 Department of Justice Office of Inspector General report characterized the incident as a suspected suicide attempt. Tartaglione told writer and influencer Jessica Reed Kraus in a July 2025 podcast interview that he "woke up and saved him by performing CPR."
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain murky. Epstein initially claimed that Tartaglione had assaulted him, which Tartaglione denied. However, while on suicide watch in the following days, Epstein changed his account, telling prison staff that he had no memory of the incident. Less than a month later, Epstein died by suicide in a different cell.
Bruce Barket, one of Tartaglione's lawyers at the time, confirmed his client's account of finding the note and providing it to his legal team. The note had remained in Tartaglione's files since 2019. Barket explained that the document was relevant evidence in Tartaglione's case because federal prosecutors had initially sought the death penalty against him for quadruple homicide, and "his conduct in jail matters a lot in front of a jury."
The note, if verified, would support Tartaglione's claims that he did not harm his cellmate but rather attempted to help him. However, Barket acknowledged that his legal team never conducted formal handwriting analysis or official authentication of the document. This contradicts a timeline released by the Justice Department among millions of "Epstein files" documents earlier this year, which stated that Barket had authenticated the note as of January 2020.
"We didn't ever authenticate it [with] any real handwriting analysis or something like that," Barket stated. "The surrounding circumstances of how we came into possession of it, [Tartaglione's] account, and looking at a similar writing that was found in the cell after he actually killed himself led us to be comfortable with the fact that Epstein had written it."
The Department of Justice informed media outlets Thursday that this is "the first time DOJ is seeing it as well." In a two-page court filing, government lawyers did not object to the note's release, writing that "there appears to be a strong public interest in the circumstances surrounding Epstein's death as described in the unsealing motion."
Tartaglione was sentenced in 2024 to four consecutive life sentences for quadruple homicide, a conviction he is currently appealing. Much of his case remains sealed, though the New York Times has requested three additional court documents be released alongside the purported suicide note.
Judge Karas of the Southern District of New York gave all parties, including Tartaglione's lawyers and the Department of Justice, one week to propose redactions to those filings. Barket indicated that the documents could provide answers to lingering questions about the note, including why it was not released sooner.
The release of this document comes amid ongoing congressional scrutiny of the Epstein case. The House Oversight Committee is conducting interviews with high-level officials as part of its probe into Epstein and the federal government's handling of the investigation. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who appears in the files and was Epstein's neighbor in Manhattan, testified before the committee on Wednesday. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was ousted in April following criticism over her handling of the Epstein files, is scheduled to speak to the committee later this month.
The Department of Justice has released millions of documents and images from criminal investigations into Epstein since December, but this purported suicide note had remained sealed in an unrelated court case until this week. Epstein's life, crimes, and death continue to generate conspiracy theories and political fallout for those with ties to the disgraced financier.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 9-8-8 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
