It was the prison escape that captured the world’s attention, two highly dangerous criminals on the loose in the U.S. and managing to evade law enforcement for weeks.

How dangerous you ask? Richard Matt was serving 25 years for killing and dismembering his former boss and the other, David Sweat, was serving life without parole for killing a sheriff’s deputy (ironically the exact opposite of Bob Marley then).

Now Sunday saw officers catch up with David Sweat near the Canadian border, bringing the Shawshank Redemption style story to a close after Friday’s fatal shooting of Matt. We’ll come back to Sweat in a moment but let’s deal with Matt’s killing and how authorities managed to nab him. This below from CBS:

Matt was sick and drunk when police caught up with him…Investigators told the newspaper that the finding of Matt’s soiled underwear before they caught up with him indicated he was likely ill from consuming contaminated food or water.

One of the tips that led investigators to Matt was a local reporting one of their cabins having been broken into, with empty or half-drunken bottles of booze lying everywhere…Officials said Matt’s corpse reeked of alcohol…

A noise – perhaps a cough – ultimately did Matt in. A border patrol team discovered Matt, who was shot after failing to heed a command to raise his hands.

Sweat eventually gave himself up after the stress of little sleep, scant food and biting bugs became too much to bear and authorities closed in.

I’m guessing where he’s headed biting bugs will be the least of his worries. His story may prove popular with fellow inmates but I doubt the prison wardens will be as enthused.

[source:cbs]