Ex-cellmate says he found suicide note from Jeffrey Epstein
What's the story
Nicholas Tartaglione, a convicted quadruple murderer and cellmate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has claimed that he found an alleged suicide note written by the disgraced financier. The note was discovered in July 2019, shortly after Epstein's first failed suicide attempt. About two weeks later, Epstein was found dead in his lower Manhattan jail cell. The note was reportedly written on yellow legal pad paper and hidden inside a book.
Attempt details
How the initial suicide attempt was reported
Epstein was found on July 23, 2019, with a homemade noose around his neck. Initially, he accused Tartaglione of trying to kill him but later retracted the statement, according to the New York Times. The Bureau of Prisons incident report noted Epstein had "determined to have sustained a circular line of erythema at the base of the neck and friction marks on the front of the neck."
Note disclosure
What did the note say?
Tartaglione first spoke of the alleged suicide note in a podcast last year. He recalled its content: "It said something like 'FBI, you know, looked into me for months and found nothing.' Then he wrote, 'What do you want me to do? Cry about it?' And he was weird because he wrote a smiley face, and then he wrote 'time to say goodbye.'" That note is now part of a sealed file in Tartaglione's criminal case.
Legal proceedings
Note could be unsealed soon
The New York Times has petitioned a federal judge to unseal the alleged suicide note. The publication argued that Tartaglione had publicly discussed it and a two-page document about the note was included in recent Justice Department disclosures. US District Judge Kenneth Karas has ordered responses to this request by May 4.
Death confirmation
Epstein's death ruled a suicide
Epstein died in jail on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging by the New York Medical Examiner's Office and confirmed by the Justice Department. Tartaglione, a former police officer, was convicted in 2023 and sentenced to four consecutive life terms in prison. His appeal is pending before the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals.