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Richard William Matt (June 25, 1966 – June 26, 2015) was an American murderer known for several prison escapes, most notably the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape.

Murders

On December 3, 1997, Richard Matt and his accomplice Lee Bates kidnapped his former 72-year-old boss, William Rickerson, in his North Tonawanda 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 more than 24 hours with Rickerson in the trunk to Ohio and back, periodically stopping to beat him. Later, Matt broke Rickerson's neck with his bare hands. He then dismembered the body and threw the parts into a river and fled New York State to avoid capture.

After fleeing, Matt crossed the U.S.-Mexican border and entered the city of Matamoros. 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.

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. In 2007, he was extradited back to the United States, where Bates, who pled guilty to a lesser charge, testified against him and he received the maximum 25 years to life in prison.

Prison escapes

When approximately 13 years old, Matt escaped from a group home, hiding in Allegany State Park. He had been remanded to the home for stealing a houseboat.

In June 1986, he climbed a fence to escape from the Erie County Correctional Facility, where he was serving a one-year sentence for assault. According to retired Tonawanda 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.

In 1991, Matt convinced fellow prisoner David Telstar to pay $15,000 bail to get him released while awaiting trial for rape and assault. Matt then informed on Telstar, who pleaded guilty to promising Matt an additional $100,000 in a murder-for-hire scheme. Matt did not receive a reduced sentence for informing.

Prior to 2007, Matt nearly escaped from a prison in Mexico, 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 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."

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 stun belt and snipers were posted outside the courtroom to prevent his escape.

Clinton Correctional escape

On June 6, 2015, while serving 25 years to life sentence for Rickerson's murder, the 48-year-old Matt and 34-year-old David Sweat executed an elaborate escape from the maximum security Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York and became the subjects of a trans-national manhunt. The escape, which has been compared to Stephen King's The Shawshank Redemption and brought New York Governor Andrew Cuomo 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 without a disciplinary infraction.

Prior to the escape, he traded artwork of famous people with a prison guard.

Death

On June 26, 2015, Matt was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol Agent in Franklin County, New York, near the town of Malone. 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 .

An autopsy indicated Matt had a blood alcohol level of 0.18%, more than twice the level of intoxication under New York law.

References

1. "Most Wanted poster" (PDF). U.S. Marshall. U.S. Marshall. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
2. "Richard Matt, Escaped Prisoner in New York Manhunt, Is Fatally Shot". The New York Times.
3. ^ Herbeck, Dan (June 26, 2015). "Richard Matt claimed he was beaten, tortured in Mexican prison". The Buffalo News. Buffalo, New York. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
4. ^ DuVall, Eric (June 10, 2015). "Richard Matt's troubles began in early life". Democrat & Chronicle. Daniel Norselli. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
5. Espinoza, J. Noel (February 24, 1998). "American charged in Matamoros murder". The Brownsville Herald. Brownsville, Texas. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
6. Staff (June 26, 2015). "Family of Man NY Escapee Killed Reacts to Death". KRGV.com. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
7. ^ Kirstan Conley (2015-06-08). "Escaped killer has a history of breaking out of prison". New York Post. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
8. ^ "Escaped murderers may be headed to Vermont, authorities say". Fox News. 2015-06-10.
9. Greg Krikorian (1992-01-28). "Hollywood Heiress's Marriage Turns to Dark Tale of Theft, Murder Plots". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
10. The Guardian (June 10, 2015). "New York prison break: escapees may be headed to Vermont". Retrieved July 2, 2015.
11. ^ Eric DuVall (2015-06-10). "Richard Matt's troubles began early in life". Democrat & Chronicle (Gannett).
12. Jeff Preval (2015-06-08). "Source: Richard Matt had escape plan during '08 murder trial". WGRZ.com. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
13. Shapiro, Emily; Keneally, Meghan (June 8, 2015). "NY Prison Break and How It Compares to 'Shawshank Redemption". ABC News. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
14. Ahmed, Saeed (June 8, 2015). "Source: Employee questioned in New York prison escape". Turner. CNN. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
15. "Governor Cuomo tours correctional facility after prison break". No. Pictorial. New York Daily news.
16. The New York Times (June 7, 2015). "With Power Tools and a Ruse, 2 Killers Flee New York Prison". Retrieved July 2, 2015.
17. Genis, Daniel (June 10, 2015). "New York State's Scariest Prison". Vice.com.
18. NBC (June 11, 2015). "Prison Worker Joyce Mitchell Being Questioned in Connection With Brazen Escape". Retrieved July 2, 2015.
19. New York Times (June 25, 2015). "New York Prison Escapee Traded Art for Favors From a Guard". Retrieved July 2, 2015.
20. New York Post (June 11, 2015). "Escaped murderer Richard Matt shot and killed by police". Retrieved July 2, 2015.
21. Margolin, Josh; Katersky, Aaron; Shapiro, Emily (June 26, 2015). "Escaped New York Inmate Richard Matt Shot and Killed by Police, Officials Say". ABC News. ABC News Internet Ventures. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
22. Sanchez, Ray; Feyerick, Deborah; Prokupecz, Shimon (2015-06-26). "Source: New York prison escapee Richard Matt killed". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved 2015-06-26.
23. ^ "Autopsy: NY prison escapee was drunk when killed in forest". Yahoo! News.
24. Demola, Pete (June 26, 2015). "New York prison escapee killed by police, accomplice still at large". Reuters. Retrieved July 2, 2015.

• 1966 births
• 2015 deaths
• 20th-century American criminals
• 21st-century American criminals
• American escapees
• Criminals from New York (state)
• Deaths by firearm in New York (state)
• Escapees from New York (state) detention
• People convicted of murder by Mexico
• People convicted of murder by New York (state)
• People from Tonawanda, New York
• People shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States