The Tale of Two Fugitives Comes to an Exciting End

Both local and federal law enforcers followed more than 1,400 leads in the effort to find the escapees.

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Both local and federal law enforcers followed more than 1,400 leads in the effort to find the escapees.

Catherine Healy, Business Manager

David Sweat and Richard Matt escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in New York on June 5 after the 10:30 PM standing count.

Sweat killed and ran over New York sheriff’s deputy, Kevin Tarsia, when the deputy tired to arrest Sweat and his cousin for possession of stolen guns. He was serving life without parole and had previously served two years for attempted burglary. Matt, a double murderer, was serving a sentence of 25 years to life. He had escaped imprisonment before and was on the run for four days before being recaptured. The lead detective in Matt’s first murder investigation, Gabriel DiBernardo, described him as a cunning and vicious individual and a master manipulator.

More than 800 law enforcement officers searched for the two for 23 days. On June 22, a break in the case occurred; a cabin 20 miles away from the correctional facility was burglarized and a witness walking into the cabin saw someone run into the woods. Law enforcement officers searched the cabin and found traces of Sweat’s and Matt’s DNA.

An RV driver called into the police, reporting suspected gunshots in the area at 1:30 PM on June 26. By 5:00 PM, it was confirmed that Matt had been shot and killed. Two days later, on June 28, Sweat was shot and taken into custody. He was taken to Albany Medical Center under serious condition. For further updates use CNN, NBC, or BBC.