A guard who was named in a cheeky thank-you note left by two jail inmates when they chiseled their way out of their cells has committed suicide, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Rudolph Zurick, 40, was found dead at his home in Middlesex County, said attorney Michael J. Mitzner.
Zurick had not been charged in the December 15 break from the Union County Jail and had been cooperating with the investigation, Mitzner said.
"Everything I understand, he did nothing wrong," said Mitzner, who spoke to Zurick on Monday. "It's hard to know what goes through someone's head."
Mitzner did not have Zurick's cause of death.
In a statement, Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said the death is being investigated by Middlesex County authorities.
"This is not a time for speculation, but a time for mourning," Romankow said. He declined further comment.
Officials in Middlesex County did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Zurick had been scheduled to be interviewed Wednesday about the daring break by inmates Otis Blunt, 32, and Jose Espinosa, 20. Both remained at large Wednesday.
The two used photos of bikini-clad women to hide holes they dug through the cinderblock walls of their adjoining cells in a high-security unit, authorities said. They jumped onto a lower roof, then made it over a 25-foot-high fence topped with razor wire.
The inmates left behind a thank-you note, signed with a smiley face, that named Zurick, thanking him for the tools they used -- a thick piece of wire and a 10-pound steel water shut-off wheel.
"You're a real pal! Happy Holidays," said the note, which also included a drawing of a hand with an upraised middle finger.
The note, Mitzner said, was "definitely sarcastic."
"There was no way he gave them any help. He was the one who had noticed they were missing."
Blunt was awaiting trial for robbery and weapons offenses. Espinosa was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a 2005 drive-by shooting.
Authorities are reviewing security measures and have barred inmates from putting pictures cut from magazines on their cell walls.
2 comments:
That is sad that the man died. But just because he gave the two inmates the tools doesn't mean it is he fault. He could of gave them the tools, not knowing they were going to escape. Being in jail or prison.....you don't think any inmate would have the time to plan and do an escape. The only way it could of been the man's fault is if he planned the escape with the inmates!!!
Yeah, that's what they were getting at, they said the guard wouldn't have gotten into trouble because they don't know what's running through the inmates heads. They are just mental people who should be watched more carefully.
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