195:. Richard Matt's biological father, Robert Matt, was convicted of multiple offenses including assault, burglary, issuing bad checks and criminal possession of stolen property. Robert Matt is believed to be dead. The brothers began receiving foster care early in life. Richard's foster father, Vern Edin, and his wife were well known in the community for giving foster care to children, and enrolled the Matt brothers in
620:
270:. On February 20, 1998, Matt murdered Charles Arnold Perreault, an American engineer employed at Ranco de Mexico, a local factory. According to news reports, Matt and Perreault were in a bar, and when Perreault went to the restroom, Matt stabbed him nine times in the back and abdomen in an attempt to rob him of $ 300 USD.
326:
to survey their escape route, involved the use of tools to tunnel out of the facility to an "external breach" approximately 500 feet (150 m) outside of the prison wall. The two men had first earned privileged housing in Honor Block, a unit with larger cells available only to prisoners with years
254:
home. After attacking him, Matt forced
Rickerson into the trunk of Bates' car. Matt believed Rickerson had access to a large sum of money and demanded to know its location. They drove for approximately 27 hours with Rickerson in the trunk to Ohio and back, periodically stopping to beat him. Later,
215:
Matt had a distaste for legitimate work and consequently compiled a lengthy criminal history. His brother Robert also had a long criminal history, being arrested four times between 1985 and 1989 for crimes including burglary, larceny and assault. The two brothers were never known to have committed
281:
In 2007, he was extradited back to the United States to face trial for
Rickerson's murder, where Bates, who had pled guilty to second-degree murder and received a 15 year to life sentence for his role in the murder, testified against him; Matt received the maximum 25 years to life in prison for
273:
After assaulting
Perreault, Matt attempted to flee the scene of the crime, but was apprehended by police shortly after. Matt provided the name of his half-brother, Wayne M. Schimpf, when questioned by the officers. Matt was convicted of murder in a Mexican court and received a 23-year sentence.
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While in prison in Mexico, Matt nearly escaped by climbing to the roof before being shot by guards. According to his son, "He's been shot like nine times. It's like they can't kill him." Matt was turned over to U.S. authorities in 2007. According to court reporter Rick
Pfeiffer, the Mexican
170:
to avoid capture, he murdered a second man, Charles
Perrault, in February 1998 while attempting to rob him and received a 23-year sentence. After being extradited back to the United States in 2007 and being convicted for Rickerson's murder, Matt began serving a 25 year to life sentence for
31:
348:
On June 26, 2015, after twenty days on the run and a day after his 49th birthday, Matt fired at a camping trailer driving on the road in an unsuccessful attempt to kill the driver and steal the vehicle. The driver alerted the police, and many
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crimes together. He was seen as a low-grade criminal mostly involved in thefts and burglaries until he got involved with drugs and developed a reputation for violence. He was used as a criminal informer for several years in the 1980s.
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175:. Already having a history of escaping from correctional facilities, he escaped from the facility in June 2015 with fellow prisoner David Sweat, and after twenty days on the run trying to escape to Canada, he was killed by the
353:
officers were sent to investigate the heavily wooded area; after hearing coughing, they encountered Matt carrying a 20-gauge shotgun. When he refused to drop the weapon, he was shot and killed by
Supervisory Agent and former
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282:
second-degree murder, with no chance of parole until 2032. During his trial for the murder of
Rickerson, authorities suspected he had a plan to escape from Niagara County Jail. Matt was made to wear a
199:
Baseball. The Edins have since died. Matt had behavioral issues in school, which included a reputation for "terroriz kids on the bus". He was sent to a group home in his early teens for stealing a
435:
166:
who had already served several prison terms for various crimes before he and an accomplice robbed, kidnapped and murdered his former boss, William
Rickerson in December 1997. After fleeing to
521:
366:, receiving three gunshot wounds to the head. Sweat was caught 2 days later. Sweat began to run and an officer shot him twice, one in his right shoulder and the other in his left arm.
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policeman David Bently, Matt evaded police for four days, hopping a freight train to his brother's house in
Tonawanda where he was ultimately apprehended.
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government placed him without explanation on a plane with a drug kingpin they had agreed to extradite because he had "been such a difficult prisoner."
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On June 6, 2015, while serving a 25 years to life sentence for
Rickerson's murder, the 48-year-old Matt and 34-year-old David Sweat executed
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643:
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In June 1986, he climbed a fence to escape from the Erie County Correctional Facility, where he was serving a one-year sentence for
250:
On December 3, 1997, Richard Matt and his accomplice, Lee Bates, kidnapped his 76-year-old former boss, William Rickerson, in his
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and fled New York State to avoid capture. The robbery only gained Matt a wedding ring, some credit cards, and less than $ 100.
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Matt broke Rickerson's neck with his bare hands. He then dismembered the body with a hacksaw, threw the parts into the
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without a disciplinary infraction. Prior to the escape, he traded artwork of famous people with a prison guard.
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732:"The New York Prison the Two Murderers Escaped from Has a Terrifying Reputation Among Inmates"
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751:"Prison Worker Joyce Mitchell Being Questioned in Connection With Brazen Escape"
862:"Escaped New York Inmate Richard Matt Shot and Killed by Police, Officials Say"
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on Telstar, who pleaded guilty to promising Matt an additional $ 100,000 in a
283:
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815:"Dannemora prison seamstress who helped 2 convicts escape released early"
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to get him released while awaiting trial for rape and assault. Matt then
485:"Hollywood Heiress's Marriage Turns to Dark Tale of Theft, Murder Plots"
220:
147:(June 25, 1966 – June 26, 2015) was an American murderer known for his
230:
In 1991, Matt convinced fellow prisoner David Telstar to pay $ 15,000
939:"New York prison escapee killed by police, accomplice still at large"
396:"Richard Matt, Escaped Prisoner in New York Manhunt, Is Fatally Shot"
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and snipers were posted outside the courtroom to prevent his escape.
263:
167:
132:
621:"COURTS: Bates admits lying to NT detectives in Matt murder trial"
1031:
People shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States
203:, but escaped by riding on a stolen horse, after which he hid in
514:"Richard Matt claimed he was beaten, tortured in Mexican prison"
231:
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scheme. Matt did not receive a reduced sentence for informing.
644:"NY Prison Break and How It Compares to 'Shawshank Redemption"
697:"With Power Tools and a Ruse, 2 Killers Flee New York Prison"
1021:
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by New York (state)
783:"New York Prison Escapee Traded Art for Favors From a Guard"
916:"Prison escapee Richard Matt died of 3 bullets to the head"
780:; Rashbaum, William K.; Mueller, Benjamin (June 25, 2015).
575:"New York prison break: escapees may be headed to Vermont"
830:"Escaped murderer Richard Matt shot and killed by police"
187:
Richard Matt and his older brother Robert were raised in
462:"Escaped killer has a history of breaking out of prison"
394:
Rashbaum, William K.; Mueller, Benjamin (26 June 2015).
749:
Esposito, Richard; Fieldstadt, Elisha (June 11, 2015).
667:"Source: Employee questioned in New York prison escape"
892:"Source: New York prison escapee Richard Matt killed"
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116:
111:
99:
88:
69:
43:
21:
642:Shapiro, Emily; Keneally, Meghan (June 8, 2015).
427:"Broken Boys, Thieves, Killers, and Now Escapees"
308:in upstate New York and became the subjects of a
1016:People convicted of murder by New York (state)
828:Schram, Jamie; Algar, Selim (June 11, 2015).
606:"Richard Matt's troubles began early in life"
548:"Richard Matt's troubles began in early life"
162:where he grew up in foster homes, Matt was a
8:
29:
18:
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312:. The escape, which has been compared to
296:2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape
153:2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape
1001:Escapees from New York (state) detention
599:
597:
455:
453:
37:New York State Department of Corrections
524:from the original on September 18, 2016
424:Kleinfield, Nathan R. (June 12, 2015).
386:
160:Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area
330:The escape was dramatized in the 2018
996:Deaths by firearm in New York (state)
813:Burke, Minyvonne (February 7, 2020).
608:. Democrat & Chronicle (Gannett).
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262:After fleeing, Matt crossed the U.S.-
179:. Sweat was captured two days later.
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1011:People convicted of murder by Mexico
507:
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708:from the original on 7 January 2022
694:; Southall, Ashley (June 7, 2015).
438:from the original on 25 August 2022
860:; Shapiro, Emily (June 26, 2015).
794:from the original on 24 March 2022
14:
890:; Field, Alexandra (2015-06-26).
619:Pfeiffer, Rick (March 17, 2008).
103:Prison escape, convicted murderer
1026:People from Tonawanda, New York
991:Criminals from New York (state)
981:21st-century American criminals
976:20th-century American criminals
266:border and entered the city of
1041:Painters from New York (state)
937:Demola, Pete (June 26, 2015).
546:DuVall, Eric (June 10, 2015).
512:Herbeck, Dan (June 26, 2015).
483:Krikorian, Greg (1992-01-28).
460:Conley, Kirstan (2015-06-08).
322:and brought New York Governor
35:Mug shot of Matt taken by the
1:
665:Ahmed, Saeed (June 8, 2015).
573:Yuhas, Alan (June 10, 2015).
306:Clinton Correctional Facility
173:Clinton Correctional Facility
171:second-degree murder at the
918:. The Herald. June 28, 2015
604:DuVall, Eric (2015-06-10).
290:Clinton Correctional escape
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304:from the maximum security
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360:Franklin County, New York
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552:Democrat & Chronicle
319:The Shawshank Redemption
223:. According to retired
1036:American male painters
376:List of prison escapes
310:trans-national manhunt
211:Early criminal career
145:Richard William Matt
48:Richard William Matt
362:, near the town of
337:Escape at Dannemora
302:an elaborate escape
205:Allegany State Park
189:Tonawanda, New York
89:Cause of death
62:Tonawanda, New York
788:The New York Times
702:The New York Times
400:The New York Times
351:U.S. Border Patrol
177:U.S. Border Patrol
986:American escapees
888:Feyerick, Deborah
730:(June 10, 2015).
623:. Niagara Gazette
554:. Daniel Norselli
489:Los Angeles Times
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16:American murderer
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778:Craig, Susanne
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100:Known for
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77:(aged 49)
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149:prison escape
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73:June 26, 2015
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58:June 25, 1966
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943:. Retrieved
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899:. Retrieved
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580:The Guardian
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466:. Retrieved
440:. Retrieved
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335:
334:mini-series
329:
324:Andrew Cuomo
317:
314:Stephen King
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75:(2015-06-26)
23:Richard Matt
971:2015 deaths
966:1966 births
817:. NBC News.
442:January 19,
356:Army Ranger
960:Categories
901:2015-06-26
646:. ABC News
382:References
183:Early life
54:1966-06-25
1006:Fugitives
941:. Reuters
922:March 22,
558:March 10,
284:stun belt
268:Matamoros
225:Tonawanda
201:houseboat
866:ABC News
792:Archived
756:NBC News
706:Archived
627:April 4,
528:June 28,
522:Archived
436:Archived
370:See also
332:Showtime
236:informed
945:July 2,
871:July 2,
841:July 2,
798:July 2,
762:July 2,
712:July 2,
676:June 9,
650:July 2,
586:July 2,
494:July 2,
468:July 2,
264:Mexican
246:Murders
221:assault
193:Buffalo
125:Country
117:Victims
112:Details
364:Malone
168:Mexico
151:, the
133:Mexico
92:Three
83:, U.S.
64:, U.S.
344:Death
947:2015
924:2021
873:2015
843:2015
800:2015
764:2015
736:Vice
714:2015
678:2015
652:2015
629:2021
588:2015
560:2018
530:2015
496:2015
470:2015
444:2021
232:bail
70:Died
44:Born
896:CNN
671:CNN
316:'s
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