Judge Unseals Note Purportedly From Jeffrey Epstein; DOJ Says It Has Not Been Authenticated
A one-page handwritten note allegedly from Jeffrey Epstein was unsealed after being kept in a court vault since 2021; the Justice Department says it has not been authenticated and is seeing it for the first time.
Associated PressEpstein cellmate says he found a suicide note. Justice Department says it's seeing it for first time
Associated PressWhat to know about Jeffrey Epstein's ex-cellmate and the note he says he found
NPRA judge unsealed Epstein's purported 2019 suicide note. More documents could follow
TIME MagazineWhat to Know About the Alleged Jeffrey Epstein Suicide Note
Overview
Judge Kenneth Karas unsealed a one-page note purportedly written by Jeffrey Epstein after a petition filed April 30, and the document had been stored in a courthouse vault since 2021.
Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein’s former cellmate, said he found the handwritten note inside a book after Epstein’s suspected July 23, 2019, suicide attempt at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
The Justice Department said the note has not been authenticated and that this is the first time DOJ is seeing it.
Epstein was found dead on August 10, 2019, and the note’s release follows publication of more than 3 million documents in January related to the wider Epstein files.
Judge Karas gave parties one week to propose redactions to related filings and indicated that additional court documents tied to Tartaglione’s case could be unsealed.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources report the unsealing cautiously and without overt editorial framing. They use hedging language ('purported', 'has not verified'), present multiple perspectives (judge, prosecutors, defense, media requests), and clearly attribute quotes. overall coverage emphasizes factual context and uncertainty rather than asserting conclusions.