ELIZABETH, N.J. — Two New Jersey cons whose jailbreak was similar to “The Shawshank Redemption” were given the maximum sentence today for their escape.
Otis Blunt and Jose Espinosa received five years in prison for the December 2007 breakout from the Union County Jail. Blunt was later acquitted of the robbery charge for which he’d been jailed.
Espinosa’s sentence was added to a 17-year term he’s serving for aggravated manslaughter.
They received more than a year’s credit for time served.
The two used pin-up posters covering holes in the cinder-block walls through which the inmates made their daring exit in a scene straight out of the movie.
The brazen breakout led to a bizarre chain of events that included the suicide of a correction officer and a failed effort by the Rev. Al Sharpton to broker a surrender deal for Blunt, 32, who managed to make it to Mexico City, where he was arrested.
Espinosa, 20, was captured in an apartment just six blocks from the jail.
Before they escaped, the pair left a note taunting Officer Rudolph Zurick, who killed himself two weeks later.
“Thank you Officer Zurick for the tools needed,” said the note, which included a smiley face. “You’re a real pal! Happy Holidays.”
Romankow said there was no evidence that Zurick, the married father of a 4-year-old daughter, aided in the escape.
The escape led to sweeping reforms at the jail.
In an ironic twist, Blunt was acquitted of the robbery charge for which he’d been jailed.
With Post Wire Services