US court orders release of Epstein suicide note amid scrutiny of 2019 death
A handwritten note purported to be written by Jeffrey Epstein has been made public by US District Judge Kenneth Karas, though the court did not confirm its genuineness.
A New York federal judge has ordered the release of a handwritten document alleged to be a suicide note by financier Jeffrey Epstein. US District Judge Kenneth Karas ruled that the item, filed as evidence in a separate criminal proceeding, is subject to the public's right of access. The decision came without any judicial verification of the note's authenticity, leaving its provenance unconfirmed by the court.
The document was submitted as part of the case involving Nicholas Tartaglione, a former cellmate of Epstein who was serving time in Manhattan jail in July 2019. Tartaglione, who is currently serving four consecutive life sentences for drug-related murders, reportedly discovered the note tucked inside a book during his incarceration with Epstein. Lawyers for Tartaglione confirmed that the handwritten text, written on a yellow legal pad, contained references to an investigation that yielded no results and a desire to choose the timing of death.
While the note was released following a request by the New York Times, the court's order does not establish its validity. The release coincides with renewed legislative pressure on the Justice Department to disclose all files related to Epstein's death. In November 2025, Congress passed a bipartisan bill mandating this disclosure, which President Donald Trump signed into law despite initial opposition.
Previous reports indicated that the document was absent from millions of files previously released by the Justice Department. This gap has fueled ongoing inquiries into the completeness of the executive branch's disclosure efforts. Concurrently, lawmakers are conducting their own investigations into Epstein's associates, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appearing before the House Oversight Committee to address allegations regarding his ties to the financier.
To date, no one has been criminally charged in the United States in connection with Epstein's alleged crimes, although officials in other jurisdictions have faced legal consequences. The circumstances surrounding Epstein's death in August 2019 continue to attract significant political attention, with the release of this new document adding to the body of evidence under public review.
