Newly unsealed note adds attention to Jeffrey Epstein death
The document was unsealed by a federal judge after a request from The New York Times.
(NBC)- A newly unsealed note allegedly written by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is drawing renewed attention to the circumstances surrounding his 2019 death.
The handwritten note was reportedly discovered after a failed suicide attempt weeks before Epstein later died by suicide, according to the medical examiner.
“It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye,” the note reads in part.
The document was unsealed by a federal judge after a request from The New York Times.
The note had been sealed as part of an unrelated legal case involving Epstein’s former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, who claimed the document fell out of a book he was reading.
Neither NBC News nor The New York Times independently authenticated the note.
A handwriting expert consulted by NBC News compared the newly released document to another alleged Epstein note previously included in Department of Justice files.
Handwriting examiner Sheila Lowe said similarities in wording and syntax stood out during the review.
“Well, I think that’s significant,” Lowe said. “Syntax, the way things are written, are very significant in document examination.”
Lowe also noted some similarities in lettering style between the documents but said the comparison was ultimately inconclusive because investigators lacked enough samples for a definitive determination.
“He probably did write this, but there are limitations, because we don’t have enough to compare,” Lowe said.
One phrase in the newly released note — “Whatcha want me to do burst out cryin!!” — reportedly appears almost identically in emails previously released by the Department of Justice.
Epstein’s death in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 sparked years of conspiracy theories and public skepticism despite official findings ruling the death a suicide.
As recently as last year, Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell publicly questioned the official conclusion during a prison interview with the Department of Justice.
“I do not believe he died by suicide,” Maxwell said.
NBC News correspondent Stephanie Gosk said the newly revealed note could further support the medical examiner’s findings that Epstein was not murdered.
