Escaped murderer Richard Matt is dead. Governor Andrew Cuomo was in Malone, a village about 30 miles west of the prison and 50 miles west of Plattsburgh, with law enforcement officers Friday night to describe the events that led to the death of the convict that escaped the maximum security Clinton Correctional Facility three weeks ago.
Flanked by state and local and federal officials, Governor Cuomo expressed no regret as he confirmed the death of Richard Matt. "You never want to see anyone lose their life. But Mr. Matt was an escaped murderer. Mr. Matt killed two people who we know about. Mr. Matt killed his boss in a dispute and dismembered him. He fled to Mexico and then he killed another person in Mexico and was imprisoned in Mexico. Mr. Sweat is also dangerous. Mr. Sweat was involved in the killing of a sheriff’s deputy in Broome County. Mr. Sweat and his accomplices hit the sheriff’s deputy with a car, got out and shot him 22 times and then ran over him. So these are dangerous, dangerous men."
NYS Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico described how an individual that found gunshots in his trailer led law enforcement to the confrontation. "At about 1:51 we received a report that a person towing a camper believed that their camper had been shot. We deployed teams from multiple agencies to that area. We were able to get into the cabin where we discovered the smell of gunpowder and realized that a weapon had been fired. Also there was indication that someone recently had been there and had fled out the back door. As we were doing the ground search in the area, there was movement detected by officers on the ground and what they believed to be coughs, so they knew they were dealing with humans as opposed to wildlife. A tactical team from Customs and Border Protection met up with Matt in the woods, challenged him and he was shot dead by Border Patrol at that time. We recovered a 20 gauge shotgun from Matt’s body at the location."
Governor Cuomo cautioned that the investigation and search is ongoing as the second fugitive - David Sweat - is still at large. "We have no reason to believe that Mr. Sweat was not with Mr. Matt at the time. But we don’t have any confirming evidence that he was either. There are several leads that are being tracked down as we speak about Mr. Sweat and his possible whereabouts. But we don’t have anything to confirm where Mr. Sweat is at this time."
Malone resident Kathy Onorati lives in the search area. She and her family were unnerved earlier in the week when the search centered near her house near Titus. "I just really kind of freaked out and started hearing the helicopters and all the state troopers and the floodlights. It really was scary. Very scary because everything is dark. You don’t know what’s going on. It’s the middle of the night and you’re like Oh my God, how close are they to my house? It was scary."
Standing next to her, Bonnie Curtain was relieved that one fugitive had been dealt with. "It’s been tough on everybody in this area because nobody knows where they were going and so everybody’s been on alert and edgy. So I’m glad that it’s coming to an end."
When asked about the cost of the three week manhunt, Governor Cuomo said the state would do what is necessary. "We haven’t tallied up the cost. There’s no doubt that it’s expensive. But there’s also no doubt in my opinion but that it is worth it. There are truly armed and dangerous people and we will do what we have to do to bring them to justice."
Matt and Sweat escaped from the maximum security Clinton Correctional Facility sometime during the early morning hours of June 6th. They cut through their cell wall, maneuvered through a maze of catwalks, cut and crawled through steam pipes to emerge from a manhole in the village of Dannemora.
Civilian prison worker Joyce Mitchell and Corrections officer Gene Palmer have been arrested and face various charges in conjunction with the escape.
