Top Stories

ELIZABETH, N.J. (CBS) ― Investigators say Otis Blunt, one of the inmates who broke out of the Union County jail in December, told them when he was captured that a corrections officer who later committed suicide had given him a tool for his escape in return for $1,000.

"Mr. Blunt claims this was given to him by officer [Rudolph] Zurick," says Union Co. prosecutor Ted Romankow.

Romankow says that led his office to investigate Zurick, who committed suicide inside his home on Jan. 2, and while the inquiry continues, there is no evidence to back up Blunt's statement.

"All we have is a statement from a man whose credibility is lacking, as far as I'm concerned, about an officer who was working here. [He's] blaming a dead man," says Romankow.

Mike Mitzner, an attorney for Zurick's family, calls the claim dumbfounded.

"These allegations that are made are absolutely are unsupported," he says.

Zurick's friends say he was a perfectionist and perhaps all of the pressure got to him, leading him to kill himself. 

"Rudy was a friend, a brother, and a standup officer. He built morale in Union County jail and he is very missed by all," said Kenneth Burkett, a member of Local 199.

It was a note left behind by Blunt thanking Zurick for his help that friends say pushed the officer over the edge.

On Monday, authorities showed reporters yet another sarcastic letter found on Blunt.

It reads: "Both officers were either too lazy or crazy to ignore all the bangin'."

It's uncertain as to the identity of the other officer implicated in the note, but earlier Monday, sources confirmed to CBS 2's Christine Sloan that authorities were investigating whether other corrections officers helped in the escape.

According to the sources, administrative charges have been filed against five corrections officers and they could face termination. 
 
Union officials say they stand fully behind the five officers facing administrative charges. 

The investigation stems from the elaborate escape carried out by inmates Blunt, 32, and Espinosa, 20, on Dec. 14. Officials say the pair concocted a scheme that involved digging through their cell walls, similar to the method used by Tim Robbins' character "Andy Dufresne" in the Oscar-nominated film "The Shawshank Redemption."

Investigators discovered the men used a piece of piping to pick away at their cell walls, creating a hole that led them to the outside of the building. They used posters of bikini-clad women to cover the holes up over time.

To get outside, they continued to dig through another wall before knocking out a block on an outside wall. Once outside, they jumped over a 20-foot barbed wire fence.

Afterward, a note was found targeting Zurick. "Thank you Officer Zurick for the tools needed. You're a real pal! Happy holidays," the inmate wrote, leaving a smiley face at the end.

Zurick was the one who discovered that the inmates had escaped, and was called to speak to investigators about the incident.

Authorities have repeatedly said they had no evidence that Zurick gave any aid, even after he killed himself on the very same day he was to meet with investigators. 

Eventually, Espinosa was captured in a basement apartment at 842 Summer Street in Elizabeth, New Jersey on Jan. 8, about a mile from the jail.

Blunt was arrested by Mexican Federal Police without incident on Jan. 9 at a "$10-a-night hotel" in Mexico City, according to New Jersey authorities. He was found less than 24 hours after breaking off telephone contact with representatives of the Rev. Al Sharpton, who had traveled to Mexico City to negotiate his surrender.

Before escaping on December 14, Espinosa was behind bars awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a 2005 drive-by shooting. Blunt was awaiting trial for robbery and weapons charges.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)