(CNN) The husband of Joyce Mitchell, the woman accused of helping two murderers escape a maximum security prison in upstate New York, feels betrayed, lost and is "looking for his life again," according to his attorney.

Lyle Mitchell had no clue his wife was involved in the elaborate prison break when the couple were first questioned by police, said his attorney Peter Dumas.

Only two days after the escape did Lyle Mitchell realize "that something is going on here" and confront his wife, who warned him that the escaped men had been plotting to kill him, Dumas said.

The inmates "had a plan to do harm to Lyle. She doesn't agree with that. She doesn't want Lyle hurt, and I think that some threats were made to her from the inmates at that point," the lawyer said.

Joyce Mitchell, a prison tailor shop instructor, is now behind bars. She has pleaded not guilty to the two charges against her, a felony charge of promoting prison contraband and a misdemeanor charge of criminal facilitation.

She is accused of sneaking hacksaw blades, chisels, drill bits, a punch and other contraband into the convicts' hands.

But the tools did not come from Lyle Mitchell's garage, according to Dumas, who said his client did an inventory and found none were missing.

"Apparently what he believes is she got them at the store," he said.

Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Richard Matt, left, and David Sweat were on the run after they escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, on Saturday, June 6. Matt was killed by police on Friday, June 26. Sweat was captured two days later and is now in police custody. Hide Caption 1 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Hide Caption 2 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Matt's body lies on the ground after he was killed by police on June 26. Hide Caption 3 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Sweat was captured on June 28, multiple law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation told CNN. He was shot twice in a field by a New York state trooper and taken into custody in upstate New York, close to the Canadian border. Hide Caption 4 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Sweat is bloodied, shirtless and cuffed at the ankles, and he appears to be breathing into an oxygen mask after his capture on June 28. Hide Caption 5 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Police escort ambulances from an area where law enforcement officers were searching for Sweat on June 28. Hide Caption 6 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Law enforcement officials are seen in the side-view mirror of a car as they stand guard June 28 in Duane, New York. Hide Caption 7 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners FBI agents conduct a search for Sweat near Duane on June 28. Hide Caption 8 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners An FBI agent searches for Sweat on June 28. Hide Caption 9 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Department of Corrections officers man a roadblock in Malone, New York, on Saturday, June 27. Hide Caption 10 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners New York State Police officers talk to motorists at a roadblock near Malone on June 27. Hide Caption 11 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners New York State Police officers stand guard near the site where Matt was shot and killed in Malone on June 26. Hide Caption 12 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners A New York State Police officer stands guard near the shooting scene in Malone on June 26. Hide Caption 13 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Department of Corrections officers and a forest ranger, back, search a barn in Owls Head, New York, on June 26. Hide Caption 14 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Corrections officers stop a vehicle Monday, June 22, in Owls Head, about 20 to 25 miles west of the prison where Matt and Sweat escaped. The discovery of the escapees' DNA in a cabin re-energized the search for the fugitives. Hide Caption 15 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners A bus transports corrections officers to a search area in Mountain View, New York, on June 22. Hide Caption 16 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Law enforcement officers use all-terrain vehicles in Mountain View on June 22. Hide Caption 17 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Corrections officers search railroad tracks near Friendship, New York, on Sunday, June 21, after a possible sighting of the fugitives. Hide Caption 18 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners New York State Police officers gather along Route 20 near Friendship on June 21. Hide Caption 19 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners A task force of U.S. Marshals and police officers go door to door near Dannemora, New York, searching for the two escaped murderers on Tuesday, June 16. Hide Caption 20 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners New York State Troopers stop civilian cars at a checkpoint outside Dannemora on Monday, June 15. Hide Caption 21 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Prison tailor Joyce Mitchell, charged with aiding the escape, appeared in court on Monday, June 15. Hide Caption 22 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Department of Corrections officers work a roadblock in Saranac, New York, on Saturday, June 13. Hide Caption 23 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Law enforcement personnel line the roadside on June 13 as they search an area in Cadyville, New York. Hide Caption 24 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners New York State Police prepare equipment during the search on Thursday, June 11. Hide Caption 25 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Authorities block a road in Cadyville during the manhunt on June 11. Hide Caption 26 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners A Vermont state trooper heads out on Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont, on June 11. Hide Caption 27 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Law enforcement officers question a woman who lives near the Dannemora prison on Wednesday, June 10. Hide Caption 28 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners An employee stands guard at the Clinton Correctional Facility on June 10. Hide Caption 29 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners An officer checks the trunk of a car at a checkpoint near the Dannemora border on June 10. Hide Caption 30 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Officers continue their search in Essex, New York, on Tuesday, June 9. Hide Caption 31 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners An officer walks through a swampy area near Essex on June 9. Hide Caption 32 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners Law enforcement officers search a wooded area in Dannemora on Monday, June 8. Hide Caption 33 of 34 Photos: Manhunt for escaped New York prisoners State corrections officers monitor traffic June 8 at the Clinton Correctional Facility. See photos of the route the escaped prisoners took Hide Caption 34 of 34

Police have asked Lyle Mitchell to think about any unusual behavior by his wife in the days or months before the escape in the hope of finding new leads, Dumas said.

"I hate to use a cliche, but love is blind," the lawyer said. "And I think with him, he was just so happy with it that they rarely fought."

The couple spent a lot of time together. They had known each other for 21 years, were married for 14 years and both worked at the Clinton Correctional Facility.

Lyle Mitchell loved his job and knew the two convicted murderers, Dumas said. When suggestions arose two years ago that Joyce Mitchell was having a relationship with one of the killers, David Sweat, Lyle Mitchell confronted his wife and the inmate.

"Sweat had talked to him at that point in time because he works in the facility with her and said, 'No, no, no -- there's nothing going on,' " Dumas said.

But there was an investigation into an inappropriate relationship between Joyce Mitchell and Sweat at the time, and the inmate was moved out of the tailor shop in 2013 to keep them separated, said Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie.

Lyle Mitchell is not standing by his wife and is not supporting any allegations of her innocence, but he wants to make sure she is not hurt, his attorney said.

"There is a big part of his life that he is wondering if it was a lie all the time," he said. "There is a big part of his life that's gone now, pulled out from under him."

On Tuesday, Lyle Mitchell was face to face with his wife for the first time since her arrest. They spoke for an hour over a phone separated by glass, according to Clinton County Sheriff David Favro.

The couple raised Joyce Mitchell's son, Tobey, who was adopted by Lyle Mitchell, Dumas said. Tobey asked Lyle Mitchell whether he is still going to be his father.

"And Lyle said, 'Of course, I've been your father for 20 years, I'm going to keep on being here for you,' " he said.