Epstein's reported 'suicide note' could soon be unsealed: 'Time to say goodbye'

A purported "suicide note" by Jeffrey Epstein may soon be made public if a major media outlet is successful in convincing a federal judge to unseal it.

In a Thursday report, The New York Times revealed that it had petitioned a judge to make the note public after it was sealed as part of a case against Nicholas Tartaglione, a cellmate who found the document around the time of Epstein's 2019 death.

Months before his death, Epstein had blamed Tartaglione, a former police officer, for red marks found on his neck. However, Epstein told prison officials that he had "never had any issues" with his cellmate just a week after the incident.

Following the alleged assault, Epstein was moved from Tartaglione's cell and placed on suicide watch for a brief time. Around that time, the former police officer said he found the note in a graphic novel.

"I opened the book to read, and there it was," Tartaglione told the Times in a recent interview from a California federal prison. He recalled Epstein's alleged writing: "What do you want me to do, bust out crying? Time to say goodbye."

The note is not contained in files released by the Justice Department earlier this year, but a two-page chronology explains what happened to it. Because Epstein had accused Tartaglione of assault, he passed the note along to his attorneys in case more allegations arose. According to the chronology, the document was not authenticated until late 2019 or early 2020.

"My lawyers at the time wanted to make sure, you know, I didn't write it," Tartaglione explained to podcaster Jessica Reed Kraus in 2025.

Judge Kenneth M. Karas later ordered that the note be turned over to the court. A dispute between Tartaglione's attorneys prompted the judge to seal the note.

Despite being ruled a suicide, Epstein's death has been the subject of conspiracy theories. He was declared dead just weeks after Tartaglione found the note.