David Sweat and Richard Matt used pepper to try to throw off sniffer dogs.
David Sweat and Richard Matt, the two notorious prison escapees, used pepper to try to confuse tracker dogs during their three weeks on the run.
Read: David Sweat's Mom Would Have Turned Him In: 'I Always Told My Kids, 'You Do the Crime, You Do the Time'
“These two males were using pepper to throw the scent off of the dogs who were tracking them," said a police official.
Just as their daring escape seemed inspired by the movie, The Shawshank Redemption, the pepper trick also came straight out of Hollywood.
The same ruse was used by Paul Newman in the classic prison drama, Cool Hand Luke, as bloodhounds chased him.
But expert K-9 trainer Mike Dabruzzo says the pepper trick only works in the movies. “The pepper’s going to make no difference to the dog, whatsoever,” he said.
He and INSIDE EDITION producer Lara Yunaska covered their shoes in pepper - then ran into the woods to hide, leaving a trail of more pepper behind.
But within minutes, a trained K-9 tracker dog had no trouble sniffing them out.
Matt was shot to death Friday when he refused to give up. And freedom ended for Sweat on Sunday. He had blood staining his bare chest from two gunshot wounds, shackles binding his legs, and was breathing through an oxygen mask. He was wearing stolen camos - which helped him hide in the dense woods.
A dramatic photo showed the 35-year-old convicted cop killer looking dazed and bloody moments after his capture. N.Y. state troopers found maps, bug repellent and Pop Tarts on him.
Onlookers cheered as sweat arrived by ambulance at the Albany Medical Center.
Sgt. Jay Cook of the state police is being hailed a hero. He spotted Sweat, then brought him down as sweat tried to flee into the forest.
"I said to Sgt. Cook, who has two daughters, you go home tonight and tell your daughters that you’re a hero. With teenage girls that’ll probably last a good 24 hours. And then you’ll go back to being a regular dad, as I well know," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
David Sweat’s mom, Pamela, spoke to INSIDE EDITION, saying, “I still love David. I always have, I always will.”
Read: Ex-Inmate: Flirty Joyce Mitchell Brought Killer David Sweat Barbecued Ribs, 'Big Chicken'
Her prized possession is a painting of a horse and a child, made by her son, a talented artist. It's signed by Sweat with the date, 2014. On the back there is a dedication: ‘To my mom, with all my love, for your love of horses.
But she said she would have turned her son in if he had come home. “In fact, I told the officers that were up there. If I’d seen him, I was going to push my panic button on my car, and that he better get his butt over here and get him.”
One killed, one captured - and the great escape becomes part of prison folklore.
Watch Below: Escaped Killer Richard Matt Said to Be Ladies' Man, Artful Seducer
