A handwritten note believed to have been written by late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been made public after remaining sealed in a US courthouse for nearly five years.
Read More: As European heads roll from Epstein links, US fallout muted
The document was reportedly discovered by Epstein’s former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, inside a book in their prison cell in July 2019, shortly after Epstein was found with a bedsheet around his neck in a Manhattan detention facility.
The note was unsealed after US District Judge Kenneth Karas approved a request by The New York Times to release the document and related case materials.
According to reports, the handwritten message contains several emotionally charged statements, including remarks about investigations into him and references to choosing the timing of his own farewell. The note reportedly ends with phrases such as “No fun” and “Not worth it.”
Tartaglione, a former police officer currently serving a life sentence for multiple murders, said he found the note hidden inside a graphic novel while sharing a cell area with Epstein. He has claimed the paper was a yellow legal pad sheet and said handwriting experts later reviewed it to verify he was not its author.
Epstein died in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving minors. His death was officially ruled a suicide, though it has remained the subject of public speculation and conspiracy theories.
Questions surrounding the circumstances of his death have persisted for years, including reported failures by prison guards to conduct routine checks and alleged malfunctioning security cameras on the night he died.
Read More: Epstein files: Trump referenced over a million times
Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, has repeatedly disputed the suicide ruling and alleged foul play. The release of the note has renewed public interest in the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death and the handling of his detention in the weeks leading up to it.