Liputan6.com, Jakarta - A significant development in the controversial death of Jeffrey Epstein has once again become public knowledge.
On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, a federal judge in the United States ordered the unsealing of an alleged suicide letter written by the financier.
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The letter had been kept under seal for years, as part of a legal case unrelated to Epstein.
The judge's decision has reignited discussion about the mystery behind Jeffrey Epstein's death, which was officially ruled a suicide.
The order to release the letter follows a petition from prominent media outlets, The New York Times, seeking to unseale related documents.
Federal Judge's Order and the Letter's Origins
U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas, based in White Plains, New York, is behind the order to unseale Jeffrey Epstein's alleged suicide letter.
This order came after The New York Times formally filed a petition a week earlier.
The petition sought not only the unsealing of the letter, but also other documents in the case involving Epstein's former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione.
Federal prosecutors did not object to the unsealing request.
Judge Karas explained that the privacy interests of a deceased person, such as Jeffrey Epstein, are "significantly diminished, and the disclosure of information about the deceased is unlikely to 'cause concrete harm.'"
The origins of the letter are quite interesting, as it was claimed to have been discovered by Nicholas Tartaglione, Jeffrey Epstein's former cellmate.
Tartaglione, a former police officer now serving a life sentence for murder, mentioned the letter's existence in a podcast last year.
He claimed to have found it in a book in his cell after Epstein was found on July 23, 2019, with a bedsheet wrapped around his neck in his first alleged suicide attempt.
The letter was then turned over to Tartaglione's attorney, who incorporated it into his appeal.
Therefore, the letter had been sealed as part of Tartaglione's appeal, protected under attorney-client privilege, until a federal judge's order to unseal it.
Questionable Content and Authenticity of the Letter
Jeffrey Epstein's handwritten letter, while difficult to read in places, contains several striking phrases.
One such phrase is: "They investigated me for month — found nothing!!!".
The letter also includes a more philosophical line: "It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye."
And it ends on a seemingly cynical or desperate note: "Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! NO FUN — NOT WORTH IT!!"
The phrase "No fun!!!" Jeffrey Epstein himself had used the phrase in previous emails and in another note he reportedly wrote days before his death in August 2019.
However, CBS News has not independently verified the authenticity of the letter.
Tartaglione's attorney claims to have authenticated the letter, but no court or investigative agency has officially vouched for its authenticity.
However, the letter contains a clear reference to a line from the 1931 film Little Rascals, which Epstein is known to have used in at least two other email messages.
Jeffrey Epstein's Death
Jeffrey Epstein's death on August 10, 2019, in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, became the culmination of a series of controversies.
At the time, he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving multiple victims.
His death was officially ruled a suicide, although much speculation and conspiracy theories circulated.
Before his death, Epstein reportedly made his first alleged suicide attempt on July 23, 2019.
During that incident, he was found with a sheet wrapped around his neck.
This incident served as the context for the discovery of an alleged suicide note by his former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione.
Authorities also found a handwritten note in Jeffrey Epstein's cell at the time of his death.
However, the note did not resemble a suicide note, but rather a list of complaints about prison conditions.