David Sweat made headlines back in 2015, being the target of a criminal manhunt as recounted in the Escape at Dannemora TV series.
The hit Showtime docudrama, outlining Sweat and another inmate's 2015 prison break, is now streaming on Netflix, introducing audiences to this gripping real-life story.
To escape, Sweat had the help of fellow inmate Richard Matt, along with an employee of the prison Joyce Mitchell, who is played by Patricia Arquette in Escape at Dannemora.
Who Is Escape at Dannemora's David Sweat?
Brought to life by Paul Dano in Escape at Dannemora, David Sweat was a real-life criminal who successfully escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York in 2015.
Sweat had been an inmate at Clinton for nearly a decade when the escape attempt happened, serving a life sentence after being convicted of killing a Broome County sheriff in 2002 (per ABC News).
During his time at Clinton, Sweat came to befriend fellow inmate Richard Matt, who, himself, was serving a 25-year sentence for the kidnapping and assault of a man in New York state.
The pair got to know each other while living beside one another in Clinton's 'honor block'. The 'honor block' was a wing of the prison where well-behaved inmates would be situated and allowed to live with their cell doors open and even take on small jobs throughout the facility like plumbing or cooking.
As a part of this program, Matt and Sweat met seamstress Joyce Mitchell, who worked in the penitentiary's tailor.
Sweat, Mitchell, and Matt spent plenty of time together, with the female employee having admitted to at one time even starting a sexual relationship with the two of them.
Things took a turn though, as Sweat and Matt began developing a Shawshank Redemption-style escape plan from Clinton. They then procured some sharp tools from Mitchell, cutting small holes in each of their cells and slithering off-property through Clinton's plumbing system.
While the original plan for Sweat and his cohort Matt was to have Joyce Mitchell meet them outside the prison and drive them to the Mexican border, cold feet on the part of Mitchell drove them to the audible that would ultimately be their downfall.
Without a getaway car, the pair decided to make a break for the U.S.-Canada border, resulting in a 22-day manhunt for the escapees that ended near Lake Titus, New York in June 2015.
Sweat was ultimately arrested by authorities, while Matt was shot dead at the scene of their capture.
Where Is David Sweat in 2024?
Following the 22-day manhunt that followed Escape at Dannemora's exciting escape, David Sweat was taken back into the U.S. justice system where he was put back behind bars.
In February 2016, Sweat appeared before a New York state court, being sentenced to three-and-a-half to seven years to serve alongside his previous life sentence (via NBC).
Last Sweat was heard from, he was making headlines yet again for his antics in prison.
The Escape at Dannemora criminal notably staged a hunger strike from his jail cell. According to CNN, this self-imposed strike lasted quite some time before the New York Justice Department ruled he be force-fed through "external or parenteral routes."
This mandate included a provision that Sweat also be treated for any further complications brought on by either his personal hunger strike or the ensuing use of force-feeding.
Since then, there has been radio silence on Sweat's front. The convicted felon is assumed to still be living out his days being bars in a New York prison.
Escape at Dannemora is now streaming on Netflix.
