A federal judge has ordered the release of a handwritten note allegedly written by Jeffrey Epstein, nearly five years after the disgraced financier died in a Manhattan jail cell in what authorities ruled a suicide.The note included the following line: “It’s a pleasure to be able to ‘choose the right time to say goodbye’,” written on a yellow legal pad. The note was said to have been discovered by Epstein’s former cellmate, convicted murderer and former police officer Nicholas Tartaglione.US District Judge Kenneth Karras revealed the document after a request from The New York Times, which first reported its existence last week. Karas ruled that the memorandum qualified as a judicial document because it was filed in connection with Tartaglione’s criminal case.
He said there was no legal reason to keep it sealed.“Neither party identified any competing consideration that would justify the sealing of the warrant,” Karas ruled.But the judge did not confirm whether the note was real or examine its chain of custody, saying those questions were irrelevant to the decision to disclose it.“They investigated me for a month, found nothing, which led to 15-year-old charges,” the warrant said. “It’s a joy to be able to ‘choose the right time to say goodbye.’ Watcha wants me to – burst into tears!! No fun – not worth it!!”The memo came to light after Epstein was found injured in his Manhattan jail cell on July 23, 2019, in what authorities later described as an apparent suicide attempt.
According to the general descriptions provided by Tartaglione, the note was placed inside a book in their shared cell.Prison records said Epstein suffered signs of friction and irritation on the skin of his neck during the incident. Officers reported that he was breathing heavily but was responsive. An officer later wrote in a Justice Department memo that Epstein claimed Tartaglione tried to kill him.Prison officials interviewed both men on July 31, 2019.Epstein told investigators that he had no problems with Tartaglione and did not feel threatened by him. Tartaglione also said that there were no problems between them and that they kept conversations to a minimum. He said he believed Epstein had a heart attack on July 23 because his eyes were open and he appeared to be snoring.Epstein and Tartaglione shared a cell for about two weeks after Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019.
Epstein was accused of recruiting and abusing underage girls in New York and Florida. He had previously pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor.After the July 23 incident, prison officials placed Epstein on suicide watch for 31 hours before transferring him to psychiatric observation. According to prison records, Epstein denied attempting suicide, telling a prison psychiatrist that suicide conflicted with his Jewish faith and that he was a “coward” who did not like pain.Epstein died on August 10, 2019, while in custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. At the time of his death, he did not have a cellmate. Authorities later cited several prison staff failures — including officers falling asleep and surfing the Internet instead of monitoring inmates — as factors that allowed him to commit suicide.Officials also said they found another handwritten note in Epstein’s cell after his death, but said it appeared to be a list of complaints about prison conditions, including food, showers and insects, rather than a suicide note.Tartaglione discussed the memo publicly during a podcast interview last year. According to court records, he first reported this to his attorney four days after the July 23 incident. The note was later submitted as evidence in his criminal case and was kept under seal during the dispute over his legal representation.
