A judge has released the supposed suicide note of disgraced financier and sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein.
The note, handwritten on a piece of paper from a legal pad states: "They investigated me for month — FOUND NOTHING!!!" Some parts are hard to read, but the next line references the fact that the allegations Epstein was indicted on in 2019 were from many years earlier.
"It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye. Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! NO FUN, NOT WORTH IT!!"
The New York Times had previously reported on the note's existence and had petitioned a judge for it to be released. Authorities have not verified whether the note is real.
The note was found after an incident July 23 in which Epstein was found in his cell with an orange cloth around his neck and injuries to his neck. According to a Justice Department report, Epstein's cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, told authorities that Epstein had tried to kill himself.
The report states that Epstein gave conflicting accounts, first saying that Tartaglione tried to kill him but later claiming he didn't know he had been injured. After being placed on suicide watch for several days, Epstein was eventually given a different cellmate.
Meanwhile, on July 27, Tartaglione told the New York Times that he found a suicide note that he believed was connected to the July 23 incident. He told the New York Times that the note was hidden in a graphic novel: "I opened the book to read and there it was."
Tartaglione told the newspaper that he gave the note to his lawyers to protect himself because of Epstein's previous claim that Tartaglione had tried to hurt him.
According to the Justice Department report, Epstein's new cellmate was eventually transferred to another facility on August 9. That left Epstein alone, and on August 10 his body was found by prison officers.
"Epstein had an orange string, presumably from a sheet or a shirt, around his neck that was tied to the top portion of the bunkbed. Epstein was suspended from the top bunk in a near-seated position, with his buttocks approximately 1 inch to 1 inch and a half off the floor," the report states.
Neither prosecutors or Tartaglione's attorneys objected to releasing the note. The New York Times reported that Tartaglione had already talked about the note publicly and that it was only sealed for his benefit. They added that "there appears to be a strong public interest in the circumstances surrounding Epstein's death."
The newspaper reported that Inga Parsons, one of Tartaglione's appellate attorneys, also said they "had no objection to releasing the note."
