Tougher road for 2nd escaped prisoner, officials say

MALONE, N.Y. — With his escape partner killed, the surviving convicted murderer who pulled off an elaborate breakout from a maximum-security prison three weeks ago could have a tougher time eluding the army of searchers scouring miles of thick woods in far northern New York, police said Saturday.

Richard Matt — who once pledged never to be taken alive — was fatally shot during an encounter with border patrol agents Friday about 30 miles west of the prison he escaped from with David Sweat on June 6.

Sweat remained on the lam Saturday and about 1,200 searchers focused intensely on 22 square miles encompassing thick forests and heavy brush around where Matt was killed.

The frustrating manhunt suddenly broke open Friday when a person towing a camper heard a loud noise and thought a tire had blown.

A tactical team responding to the scene of the shot smelled gunpowder inside a cabin and saw evidence that someone had fled out the back door.