A new set of internal corrections documents just blew open fresh questions surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s first alleged suicide attempt—and potentially, his death.
CBS News obtained confidential memos that paint a far more disturbing and complex picture than what’s been offered to the public. And at the center of it is Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein’s cellmate at the time, a former cop turned quadruple murder suspect who, according to Epstein, had been threatening him for a week leading up to the July 23, 2019 incident in their cell.
One source close to the investigation told CBS News what happened that night: “[Epstein] is laying on the floor and his bunkie is screaming: ‘I did nothing, I banged on my door to get him out of my cell.’”
Tartaglione has consistently denied trying to kill Epstein. But these new documents reveal Epstein had expressed clear fear of his cellmate the day before the incident, telling correctional staff he felt threatened. The memo describes Tartaglione as “a hulking retired cop-turned-drug-dealer,” and confirms that Epstein “felt threatened by Tartaglione” and believed he was being extorted.
According to the documents, Epstein had been receiving threats for days but had kept quiet out of fear of what Tartaglione might do. The memo states that Epstein told officers his cellmate warned him that “if he beat him up because of [Epstein’s child sex-trafficking] charges, the officers would not report it.”
That’s a chilling allegation. And it’s one that, if true, would make the hands-off attitude of the jail even more damning.
What really happened in that cell?
Tartaglione’s version of the July 23 events is detailed in a separate memo. According to that account, in the early morning hours, something hit his legs. He turned on the light and found Epstein “slumped on the floor ‘leaning to the side with his eyes opened’ and with fabric around his neck, though unresponsive.”
Again, Tartaglione claims he had nothing to do with it.
But Epstein’s prior warnings—and the fear he had reportedly expressed—suggest he believed his life was in danger. The fact that he didn’t initially report those threats says everything about how much faith he had in the system to protect him. The fact that he turned out to be right is another story entirely.
Suicide watch, then off it, then dead
After the July 23 incident, Epstein was placed on suicide watch—only to be taken off it just days later, on July 29. He would be found dead on August 10.
What’s perhaps even more startling than the lead-up to July 23 is what Epstein was reportedly saying in the days before his death. According to internal memos, he told staff he was “too much of a coward” to kill himself. He “denied feeling hopeless” and even spoke of “positive future plans and reasons to live for.”
So what changed?
That’s the million-dollar question. And it’s one that still has no satisfactory answer.
Jeffrey Epstein’s death has fueled years of speculation, conspiracy theories, and government skepticism. These new memos don’t answer everything, but they do shed light on a system that either failed to protect a high-profile inmate—or turned a blind eye until it was too late.
At the very least, these documents show that Epstein feared for his life. He named the person he was afraid of. He said he was being threatened. And then he ended up dead.
Tartaglione, for his part, is sticking to his story. But as more documents come out, the idea that Epstein’s death was a clean-cut suicide just got harder to believe.
