A judge has ordered the release of a note that Jeffrey Epstein’s former cellmate says he found in Epstein’s New York jail unit after the financier’s first suspected attempt to take his own life in 2019. According to multiple outlets, the note had been sealed and stored in a courthouse vault as part of an unrelated legal dispute, and is now being made public. Reporting focuses on the note’s contents and on the ex-cellmate, who is described as a former police officer and has emerged as a key figure in the broader account of Epstein’s final days in custody.
Several reports say the note attributed to the earlier period reflects that the cellmate felt authorities investigated him for “a month” but “found nothing,” though details of the surrounding context are not agreed across all coverage. Other reporting also cites handwriting analysis, including comparisons to a note authorities found in Epstein’s cell after his death in 2019, with experts telling outlets that the handwriting matched.
The U.S. Justice Department has also indicated it is reviewing the note for the first time, based on reporting about prior access limitations.
