Editor’s note: The new limited event series on SHOWTIME, “Escape at Dannemora,” is based on the stranger-than-fiction account of a prison break in upstate New York in the summer of 2015 that spawned a massive manhunt for two convicted murderers. The series, which stars Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette, and Paul Dano and is directed by Ben Stiller, premieres on November 18th at 10pm ET/PT. “Escape at Dannemora” recounts a story that was covered extensively by the Post at the time. The following is the third excerpt in a series of three articles from 2015, republished in cooperation with SHOWTIME.
Look inside the cabin where the escaped killers hid
By Dana Sauchelli and William Farrington
Published: June 26, 2015
The hunting cabin where escaped murderers hid out days before one was fatally shot by authorities is an isolated hideout with a sign that says, “Hey A—hole! This ain’t your f—ing land!” that’s a 40-minute hike from the nearest dirt road.
The rustic cabin is owned or leased by a group of correction officers who called their vacation spot, “The Twisted Horn,” neighbors told the Post.
A green sign inside the cabin reads, “Twisted Horn” and the “A—hole” sign posted on a door outside is signed, “The Horn!”
To reach the cabin from a paved road requires a 1.5-mile drive down a dirt road followed by a 40-minute hike.
Cops raided the cabin – near the towns of Owl’s Head and Mountain View – on June 20 and matched DNA from Richard Matt and David Sweat to evidence seized there, including a pair of grungy, prison-issued white boxer shorts, sources have told the Post.
During their time there Matt and Sweat could have used the outhouse, cooked up dinner on the BBQ grill outside, and caught up on sleep on one of the bunk beds crowded into the cabin’s small bedroom.
Matt was shot and killed by authorities Friday. Sweat was still at large Friday evening.