The Latest: Prison escapee stole booze from camp, but it’s unclear if 1 was drunk when killed

MALONE, N.Y. – The latest on the capture of one convicted murderer from a maximum-security prison and the killing of the other (all times local):

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4:15 p.m.

A U.S. Border Patrol official says one of two killers who escaped from a maximum-security New York prison stole alcohol from a camp during their three weeks on the run.

But agent John Pfeifer didn’t say whether Richard Matt or David Sweat had stolen it. He says he doesn’t know if Matt was drunk when he was shot and killed June 26 by a Border Patrol tactical team member.

Matt and Sweat escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility on June 6. Sweat was shot and captured June 28.

Pfeifer says he could only give few details of Matt’s death because of the ongoing investigation. He says the team that found Matt lying down behind a fallen tree included members of the Border Patrol based in New York, Vermont and Texas.

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2:55 p.m.

Police investigating the escape of two killers from a northern New York prison last month are asking owners of seasonal homes and camps in the area to check for missing or left-behind items.

Police have evidence that Richard Matt and David Sweat relied on supplies from camps and cabins in the heavily wooded area after escaping from the maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility on June 6.

Matt was killed by officers June 26. Sweat was shot and captured June 28.

State police piecing together the pair’s path during their three weeks on the lam are asking for property checks in specific areas of a handful of towns west of the prison.

People who discover items left at their property or missing items are asked to call the New York State Police.

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11:30 a.m.

The body of prison escapee Richard Matt has been released to a funeral home in northern New York.

A spokesman for Heald Funeral Home in Plattsburgh says Thursday that Matt’s body is being transported from a Malone hospital to the funeral home before it’s taken to Tonawanda in western New York. Matt’s son in the Buffalo area has said he would claim the body, but it’s not clear if that has happened.

Matt and David Sweat broke out of the Clinton Correctional Facility on June 6. Matt was tracked down three weeks later and shot and killed by a U.S. border agent.

Sweat was wounded and captured two days after Matt was killed. He remains hospitalized in fair condition Thursday at an Albany hospital.

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7 a.m.

Federal authorities say the U.S. Border Patrol agent who fatally shot Richard Matt opened fire on the escaped murderer after he aimed a 20-gauge shotgun at the officer.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s statement released Thursday on the killing of the 49-year-old escapee is the first official indication that Matt aimed the weapon at officers before being shot. Officials had said the border agent opened fire after Matt failed to comply with commands to raise his hands.

Matt and David Sweat broke out of Clinton Correctional Facility in northern New York on June 6. Matt was tracked down on June 26.

A Border Patrol tactical team flew to the scene and began searching a wooded area around 3:45 p.m. The agency says soon after, Matt was spotted lying down behind a fallen tree.

Sweat was wounded by a state trooper Sunday and remains hospitalized.

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