Epstein’s Supposed Suicide Note Emerges from the Cell of His Murder-Convicted Ex-Roommate

A purported suicide note from Jeffrey Epstein has been unsealed in a New York federal court, revealing a raw, defiant message from the disgraced financier days before his death. The note reads in part, “They investigated me for month — FOUND NOTHING!!!” and “It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye,” capturing Epstein’s apparent mindset amid mounting legal pressure.

This document, crucial yet absent from the well-scrutinized Epstein files, did not come from prosecutors or congressional inquiries. Instead, it emerged from the criminal case of Epstein’s former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, a former police officer convicted in 2023 of a quadruple murder. Tartaglione claims he found the note after Epstein’s first apparent suicide attempt on July 23, 2019, when Epstein was discovered hanging by a strip of orange fabric in the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

The circumstances around that day remain murky. Tartaglione says he woke up to Epstein falling on him and alerted jail officials. Epstein, however, denied suicidal intent and accused Tartaglione of trying to extort him for protection in jail. The note itself was authenticated by one of Tartaglione’s lawyers, though details of that process are unclear.

Epstein was moved to a new cell shortly after the incident and died by suicide on August 10, 2019, while alone. Tartaglione’s disclosure of the note only became public in 2025 during an interview, and it was notably absent from the Justice Department’s extensive report on Epstein’s death.

The note references “15 year old charges,” likely alluding to Epstein’s 2007 Florida plea deal that shielded him from more severe consequences despite evidence of widespread abuse. Epstein was awaiting trial on fresh, more serious sex trafficking charges at the time of his death.

The note’s public release came after a court battle in Tartaglione’s own criminal case, involving a conflict of interest among his lawyers. US District Judge Kenneth Karas ordered the note unsealed at The New York Times’ request. Additional documents tied to the note and the legal disputes remain sealed but could reveal more about the note’s authenticity and its role in Tartaglione’s defense.

Adding to the intrigue, the court-appointed lawyer who evaluated the conflict of interest in Tartaglione’s case was Bobbi Sternheim, who later defended Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. Prosecutor Maurene Comey, part of the team that charged Epstein, also played a role in Tartaglione’s case.

This revelation underscores the ongoing shadow play surrounding Epstein’s death and the powerful figures entangled in his network. The note’s authenticity and implications remain to be fully uncovered, but its emergence from the cell of a convicted murderer rather than official investigations highlights the opacity and complexity still clouding this dark saga.