A federal judge in New York has ordered the release of the alleged suicide note written by Jeffrey Epstein to his then-cellmate. The late convicted sex-trafficker referenced both past investigations and expressed frustration.

The New York Times was given access to the note after a request to unseal the document in which it was. The federal judge ruled that the note, which was under seal as part of Epstein’s then-cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione’s case, in which he was convicted of multiple murders, was to be released.

U.S District Judge Kennet Karas found no sufficient reason to keep it sealed. The note was reportedly discovered by Epstein’s cellmate after the billionaire attempted suicide in 2019. However, the court didn’t grant the NY Times’ request for additional documents

Per Fox News, the document was described in court filings as a “suicide note purportedly authored by Jeffrey Epstein.” Tartaglione allegedly recovered the note while they were briefly cellmates at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, New York.

Tartaglione’s attorneys had submitted the document as part of court proceedings. It remained under seal for years.

Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged suicide note released
Karas said the note qualified as a judicial document, which is subject to a strong presumption of public access.

“The public has a strong presumptive right of access to certain judicial documents, established by the First Amendment, as well as a weaker presumptive right to all judicial documents, established at common law,” the ruling said, per Fox.

“The common law right of public access to judicial documents is one ‘firmly rooted in our nation’s history’ that provides ‘a measure of accountability’ for federal courts and protects the public’s ‘confidence in the administration of justice.’”

Moreover, the court found that Tartaglione waived the attorney-client privilege by publicly discussing the note’s contents, including in interviews.

Epstein’s handwritten note appeared to reference past investigations. Meanwhile, he expressed frustration, writing, “They investigated me for months – found nothing!!!” He added, “Time to say goodbye,” while other parts of the note were difficult to read.

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