A man who shared a cell with billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein revealed that the financier had written a secret suicide note that said it was 'time to say goodbye.' The note has been sealed by a federal judge since Epstein's July 2019 death as part of cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione's own federal case.
Discovery of the Note
Tartaglione, a former police officer who was convicted of drug trafficking and the murder of four people, allegedly found the note on a piece of yellow legal paper tucked into a graphic novel in Epstein's cell. 'I opened the book to read and there it was,' he said of finding the note.
'What do you want me to do, bust out crying?' the note allegedly read. 'Time to say goodbye.' The exact contents of the letter are not known since the evidence is still sealed.
Legal and Investigative Context
The New York Times petitioned the judge to unseal the note as part of the ongoing release of files related to Epstein, as investigators probing Epstein's death have lacked the ability to use it as evidence. A spokesperson for the Justice Department maintained that they had not seen the note as part of their attempts to release the Epstein files.
In 2024, Tartaglione was sentenced to life for four murders committed in 2016, though he is appealing. He gave the note to his lawyers to attempt to dispel theories that he himself had murdered Epstein in prison. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing in the incident by prison authorities and had been moved out of the cell by the time of Epstein's death weeks later.
Details from Epstein's Final Days
The Epstein files did reveal further details into the pedophile's death, which continues to fascinate people unconvinced that he took his own life. His final days were lived out in terror and torment in his prison cell, the latest batch of files from the Department of Justice reveal. The documents also spark fresh questions about the circumstances of his suicide.
At one point, following an initial unsuccessful suicide attempt, Epstein told a psychologist he was afraid to go back to his cell. The documents also recorded that his brother Mark submitted a tip to the FBI that he had been murdered.
First Suicide Attempt
Detailed records were released in relation to Epstein's first suicide attempt, which took place on July 23, 2019, at 1:27 a.m. in the Special Housing Unit at the Metropolitan Correction Center in New York. 'He stated that approx 1 a.m. he'd gotten up to drink of water as he gets up every thirty minutes. He remembered walking back to his bunk and waking up with staff there in his cell,' an assessment by a psychologist said.
'When interviewed he stated he still cannot remember what happened in the SHU that caused the marks on his neck. He stated that for the 5 days before that he had only slept about 30 minutes each night because of noise in SHU.' The evaluator added: 'He stated he is anxious about going back to SHU because he stated he is going back to a place where he had gotten marks on his neck and he does not know why it happened.'
Records showed Epstein was treated for a 'circular line of erythema at the base of his neck, one section on the front with marks of friction and a small erythema in his left knee.'
Aftermath of Death
Epstein was found dead in his cell, having committed suicide, early on August 10, 2019. Tartaglione said he tried to revive Epstein. The documents revealed frantic email exchanges between officials later that day, raising further questions about the circumstances of the death.
One official wrote: 'As you might imagine, we are getting increasingly frantic calls from defense counsel who continue to be seeing information in the press that we - the U.S. Attorney's Office - haven't yet received. We need to know as soon as possible the very basic facts, such as time and cause of death at the absolute minimum.'
Amid discussion of releasing the body, another official said: 'His defense counsel is extremely concerned about whether that has been enough time for a full autopsy and any other investigative steps.' In further chaotic emails, one official, whose department was redacted, said they were removing the Bureau of Prisons from the chain. They wrote: 'Removing BOP. They should NOT be releasing the body without confirming with FBI and DOJ-IG. Please discuss that with them.' Another official replied: 'Yeah of course. In some ways I actually hope this is a hoax because if not, it's completely insane.'
