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NY Prison Break: U.S. Marshals Add Escapees to Most-Wanted List

By Christopher Coble, Esq. on June 19, 2015 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Two convicted murderers who escaped from a maximum-security prison remain at large and U.S. marshals have added the pair to their most-wanted fugitives list. As the manhunt continues in upstate New York and beyond, there is now a $50,000 reward for information that leads to capture of David Sweat and Richard Matt.

The duo escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility over two weeks ago, allegedly with help from prison worker Joyce Mitchell.

America's Most Wanted

U.S. Marshals Service Director Stacia Hylton said the list "is reserved for the worst of the worst. There is no question David Sweat and Richard Matt fall into this category." According to a former accomplice, Matt tortured and killed William Rickerson in an attempt to extort money from the businessman. Sweat was serving a life sentence without parole for killing of Kevin Tarsia, a sheriff's deputy, during a gun store robbery in 2002.

The most wanted list has been successful in aiding the apprehension of escaped convicts in the past. Three men who escaped from Arizona prison in 2010 were captured after they were featured on the long-running crime show, "America's Most Wanted."

Fugitive(s)

The search for Matt and Sweat has covered hundreds of miles of upstate New York and included around 500 officers, as well as search dogs, all-terrain vehicles, and helicopters. But thus far, there has been no confirmed sighting of either convict. New York State Police Major Charles Guess told reporters law enforcement is "geared for the long haul, the state police and our partners...We're no strangers to lengthy months and yearlong investigation."

Matt, Sweat, and 13 others comprise the marshal's 15 Most Wanted List. The most recent capture from the list happened earlier this month, when Matthew Dion, suspected of killing his elderly parents, was caught while working at a hotel in Florida.

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