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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 6, 2015 23:12:36 GMT -5
UPDATE: Richard Matt (Pictured: Top Left) has been shot dead. David Sweat (Pictured: Top Right) was shot, but is alive and in custody.(Above Photo Credit: CNN.COM) From CNN: (CNN)Two convicted murderers escaped from a maximum security prison in upstate New York by cutting through a steel wall and following a series of tunnels until they emerged from a manhole outside the prison walls, authorities said Saturday afternoon. Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, were discovered missing at the 5:30 a.m. "standing count" of inmates at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York State Police said on the agency's Facebook page. An intense manhunt was underway with more than 200 law enforcement officers looking for the men -- the first to escape from the maximum security portion of the prison, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a press conference. "These are dangerous people," he said. "They are nothing to be trifled with." The prisoners apparently were last seen at 10:30 p.m. Friday during a standing count, authorities said. Head counts are performed every two hours throughout the night when guards visually check to see whether inmates are in their bunks, Clinton Correctional Facility Supervisor Steven Racette said. Matt and Sweat tricked the guards by arranging things in the bunks to look "like people were sleeping ... with these sweatshirt hoodies on," the governor said. The inmates were discovered missing at the 5:30 a.m. inmate count. The men had side-by-side cells and apparently had obtained power tools to cut through the steel wall in their cells, authorities said. The escapees followed a catwalk "down an elaborate maze of pipes into tunnels and exited a series of tunnels at the manhole cover," Cuomo said. Prison officials took Cuomo through the escape route. "It was elaborate, it was sophisticated," he said. "It involved drilling through steel walls, steel pipes." Authorities don't know how the prisoners got the power tools. Clinton Correctional Facility was built in 1845 and undergoes regular maintenance, so it's possible the tools came from the contractors and workmen who are often inside the facility, Cuomo said. Sweat was serving life without parole after being convicted first-degree murder in the death of a Broome County sheriff's deputy on July 4, 2002, state police said. Matt is serving 25 years to life. He was convicted on three counts of murder, three counts of kidnapping and two counts of robbery after he kidnapped a man and beat him to death in December 1997, the state police said. The prison in the northeast corner of New York is the state's largest prison with a population of 2,689 inmates, the corrections department said. CNN affiliate WPTZ reported that state police have set up roadblocks in the Dannemora area and that armed troopers are searching vehicles. Troopers and corrections officers are searching the woods in the area, too. www.cnn.com/2015/06/06/us/new-york-escapees/
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 6, 2015 23:14:23 GMT -5
I was going to go with a planned exclusive case for today (today is technically Sunday), however, this breaking news case obviously takes precedence.
This is the first escape in the 150-year history of the prison.
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 7, 2015 19:00:47 GMT -5
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 10, 2015 19:52:06 GMT -5
So according to news reports watching CNN, Richard Matt and David Sweat may have possibly headed into Vermont. (I've lived in NY State my entire life and I knew Upstate bordered a few states- but even I didn't know Vermont was one.)
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 11, 2015 4:49:08 GMT -5
Matt and Sweat have both been added to the US Marshals Top 15 Most Wanted fugitives list according to their website. Is the first breaking news addition (s) to the list since Ralph "Bucky" Phillips? For some reason only Matt has a poster up. Sweat's link is broken, but I am assuming that will change later on this morning/afternoon. (If they aren't caught before then). www.usmarshals.gov/investigations/most_wanted/matt/RichardMatt_15MW.pdf
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Post by HeadMarshal on Jun 11, 2015 12:59:38 GMT -5
Matt and Sweat have both been added to the US Marshals Top 15 Most Wanted fugitives list according to their website. Is the first breaking news addition (s) to the list since Ralph "Bucky" Phillips? For some reason only Matt has a poster up. Sweat's link is broken, but I am assuming that will change later on this morning/afternoon. (If they aren't caught before then). www.usmarshals.gov/investigations/most_wanted/matt/RichardMatt_15MW.pdfIt's good that they've been added to a major Most Wanted List like the US Marshals's. One very important thing is that both Richard Matt and David Sweat have been added unlike how only Janet Barreto was added while Ramon was not added along with her.
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 11, 2015 15:51:29 GMT -5
And now they're off the website. So it seemed they were adding them and now removed them. Hopefully this is a good sign.
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 12, 2015 19:04:23 GMT -5
Joyce Mitchell, the prison guard was arrested for providing "material support." to Sweat and Matt. I was waiting to comment on her since although a lot was said in the media, her "official" believed involvement had not been released yet. (Even though it seemed obvious she would be charged I wanted to be extra cautious this didn't turn into Richard Jewell 2.0) It is now official that police believe she helped them in some way (and was a possible getaway driver before going to a hospital instead) I've also read she was already investigated for having a potential relationship with Sweat. (And it's also believed she may have had one with Matt). Can someone please explain to me why she was allowed ANYWHERE near Matt and Sweat when she was investigated for fraternization with them? After that investigation, she should not have had any assignments anywhere near their cells. abcnews.go.com/US/joyce-mitchell-arrested-dannemora-york-prison-escape-case/story?id=31730942
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 17, 2015 19:16:38 GMT -5
John Walsh has been saying on CNN you can now call The Hunt (1-866-THE-HUNT) for tips on Matt and Sweat. I've also seen interviews where he believes the escaped inmates are holed up in am unoccupied cabin in Vermont and will make their next move once the media attention dies down.
The trail has gone extremely cold but I am not surprised. Everyone is very impatient about this. I understand this is a serious situation and Matt and Sweat do need to be caught ASAP before the harm anyone but Eric Rudolph remained on the run for FIVE YEARS in similar terrain to the area near this NY prison. Eric Frein lasted over a month and a half. As much as we want Matt and Sweat to be caught right away, as we can see on AMW, many fugitive cases take way longer than expected but most do get caught.
In this fast-paced internet world where you can get anything at the touch of a button, people expect instant results at everything. Matt and Sweat are no dummies (unfortunately), this was never going to be easy, but very talented agencies adept at catching people are working on it.
Although I do wonder why it looked like Matt and Sweat were about to be added to the US Marshals Top 15 and then they weren't. My theory is they wanted to wait for the media attention to die down- since right now the story is still in the headlines. Once it's out of the news cycle, if it gets to that point, is when the Marshals expanded resources by having them on the list will be most needed.
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 17, 2015 19:24:20 GMT -5
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 18, 2015 18:34:40 GMT -5
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 18, 2015 19:34:31 GMT -5
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 18, 2015 20:07:40 GMT -5
Jon Leiberman's one of the commentators on the special. Cool!
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Post by Scumhunter on Jun 20, 2015 14:44:27 GMT -5
"New York State Police are investigating a possible sighting of the two convicted killers who escaped from an upstate New York prison two weeks ago. Two men fitting the description of inmates David Sweat and Richard Matt were seen a week ago in Steuben County, New York, over 300 miles southwest of the prison in Dannemora, according to a State Police news release posted late Friday. Two men were seen walking near a rail yard in Erwin on June 13, and then seen the next day in Lindley, New York, heading toward the Pennsylvania border." www.cbsnews.com/news/possible-sighting-ny-escaped-murderers-david-sweat-richard-matt-pennsylvania/
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Post by HeadMarshal on Jun 20, 2015 14:46:33 GMT -5
I'm assuming there have been numerous sighting reports since the escape, so since this one has gotten media attention, there must be at least a decent degree of certainly that this is accurate.
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