© 2026
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scam Advisory: We have been made aware that an online entity is posing as Joe Donahue to invite authors and other creatives onto our radio shows. The scammers then attempt to charge guests an appearance fee for exposure/publicity.
Please note: WAMC does not charge guests to appear on the station and any email about appearing on a WAMC program will come from a wamc.org email address.

Autopsy: Escapee Richard Matt Was Drunk When Shot

Authorities say toxicology tests show prison escapee Richard Matt was drunk when fatally shot by border patrol agents in a forest in northern New York.

State police say additional autopsy results show the convicted killer had a blood alcohol level of 0.18 percent when he died from skull fractures and brain damage June 27. That's more than twice the level of intoxication for drunken driving, under New York law.

The escape by Matt and David Sweat, who was shot and captured two days after Matt died, launched a massive 23-day manhunt amid rugged terrain involving more than 1,100 law enforcement officers.

They escaped from Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora after cutting through cell walls and a steam pipe.

Both were caught about 30 miles west of the prison.

Copyright 2015 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Related Content