Where is David Sweat now? Netflix’s Escape at Dannemora criminal’s whereabouts explored

Escape at Dannemora is a Showtime original series that was first released on November 18, 2018. Escape at Dannemora is based on the real-life prison break at the Clinton Correctional Facility that occurred on June 6, 2015.

The two prisoners involved in the prison break were Richard Matt and David Sweat, who used hacksaw blades and drill bits supplied by the prison employees to dig through their cell walls. Following that, they cut open a steam pipe and escaped into the city sewers.

Richard Matt would die three weeks later in a shootout with the police, while David Sweat was taken in alive. After being re-imprisoned, he was ordered to pay $80,000 in restitution for damaging the prison, per a November 2015 report from NBC News.

In April 2022, CNN reported that David Sweat had started a hunger strike on March 25 of that year after his transfer to the Great Meadow Correctional Facility. He claimed that he was performing this strike to be transferred further away from the Clinton Correctional Facility and closer to home. As a consequence, a judge authorized David Sweat to be force-fed. There hasn't been any further news about him.

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Escape at Dannemora chronicles David Sweat's prison break

David and Richard collaborated with Joyce "Tilly" Mitchell (played by Patricia Arquette on the show) in their escape. (Image via Showtime)

Escape at Dannemora is a fictionalized account of David Sweat and Richard Matt's 2015 escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility. The two pulled off the escape with the help of two prison employees named Joyce "Tilly" Mitchell and Gene Palmer.

The prison employees helped the inmates procure the hacksaw blades and drill bits they used to tunnel through the prison walls in a jailbreak that bears a striking similarity to that of The Shawshank Redemption. After the jailbreak, David Sweat and Richard Matt absconded from the authorities for three weeks before the law caught up with them.

In Escape at Dannemora, Richard Matt is played by Benicio del Toro, who's known for his roles in Traffic, Sicario, and Escobar: Paradise Lost. David Sweat on the other hand is played by Paul Dano, who gained prominence for his role as the Riddler in Matt Reeves's The Batman, for which he authored a prequel comic series titled The Riddle: Year One.

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David Sweat was last reported to be at the Great Meadow Correctional Facility

David Sweat was last reported to be incarcerated at the Great Meadow Correctional Facility. He was transferred there from the Shawangunk Correctional Facility and this transfer is what prompted him to begin his hunger strike.

Warren County Judge Robert Muller oversaw a petition from prison authorities, who requested authorization to force-feed David Sweat in light of his hunger strike. The judge ultimately authorized them to do just that. The force-feeding could be done through “external or parenteral routes” and the prison would also bear responsibility for medically treating him for any complications that arose from the process.

This ruling effectively forced David to end his hunger strike and comply with the authorities. His attorney at the time, Matthew Bliss, offered no comments to the media.

Beyond the hunger strike, there has been no further notable news from David Sweat. As a consequence of Richard Matt's death in a police shootout, David is the only inmate of the 2015 prison break who is still alive. However, his collaborators, Joyce Mitchell and Gene Palmer, were also arrested by the authorities and are currently serving prison sentences.

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Escape at Dannemora is currently streaming on Netflix.