US District Judge Kenneth Karas on Wednesday released a document, alleged to be a suicide note written by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The document notably included the line, “It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye.” Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in Manhattan in August 2019, which was ruled as a suicide.
The note was handwritten and was reported to have been found by his former cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione. Tartaglione, an ex-police officer, was convicted for drug-related murders in a case overseen by Karas. The judge released the note after a request from The New York Times, which reported its existence last week.
Karas deemed the note to be qualified as a judicial document subjected to the public’s right to access as it was submitted in connection with Tartaglione’s case. However, he did not confirm its authenticity nor examine its chain of custody.
“No party has identified any competing consideration that would justify sealing the Note,” he said.
The note was written on a yellow legal pad and was submitted by Tartaglione’s lawyers.
An image of the note was released in the court file which read, “They investigated me for month – Found NOTHING!!! So 15 year old charges resulted. It is a treat to be able to choose ones time to say goodbye. Watcha want me to do – Burst out cryin!! NO FUN – NOT WORTH IT!!”
The note was found in July 2019, after an apparent suicide attempt where Epstein was found alive in his jail cell with marks on his necks. According to Tartaglione, the note was stashed inside a book in their cell. Epstein died weeks later, on August 10, 2019.
Though Tartaglione mentioned the existence of the note in a podcast interview in 2025, it gained widespread media attention after NYT made a report last Thursday. It claimed that the note was never seen by federal investigators and was absent from the Epstein-related documents released by the Justice Department.
The judge rejected any privacy concerns regarding the unsealing, citing Epstein’s death and the increased public discussion of the note.
