• US Judge Kenneth Karas ordered the release of a note purportedly written by Jeffrey Epstein.
• The note includes phrases indicating a troubled mindset, with lines like "It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye."
• Epstein’s former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, claimed to have found the note after an apparent suicide attempt in July 2019.
• The note was sealed for nearly five years as part of Tartaglione's criminal case involving murder charges.
• Questions remain regarding the note's authenticity and the circumstances around Epstein's death.

A federal judge, Kenneth Karas, has unsealed a handwritten note allegedly written by Jeffrey Epstein, which was previously kept confidential as part of a legal case involving his former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione. The note indicates a state of distress, stating, "It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye," along with remarks about a long investigation that "found nothing." Epstein was found dead in his cell in August 2019, with authorities citing suicide as the cause of death, according to SCMP, Reuters, and Business Insider.

The note was discovered by Tartaglione in July 2019, shortly after Epstein's first suspected suicide attempt. Tartaglione stated he found the note tucked inside a book in their shared cell during roughly two weeks together in the Metropolitan Correctional Center, according to multiple reports, including India Times and Le Monde.

Judge Karas unsealed the document following a petition from The New York Times, which highlighted the public's right to access judicial documents. Although the judge did not authenticate the note, he indicated there was no legal basis to keep it sealed, ruling that "no party has identified any competing consideration that would justify sealing the Note," according to BBC and Al Jazeera.

The note's wording suggests Epstein was aware of ongoing investigations into his earlier alleged crimes, stating, "They investigated me for months – Found NOTHING!!! So 15 year old charges resulted." Tartaglione, who is serving multiple life sentences for murder, mentioned the note during a podcast interview in 2025, although he had kept it private for several years, as reported by NPR and Business Insider.

Epstein's mysterious death continues to be a subject of intense speculation, especially surrounding the security lapses at the jail where he died. The new revelations regarding his purported note could further fuel discussions of the circumstances leading to his demise, as noted by Reuters and Le Monde.