Danelo Cavalcante captured after almost two weeks on the run – live

A nearly two-week manhunt for a dangerous murder convict Danelo Cavalcante came to an end on Wednesday as he was captured in Pennsylvania.

For 14 days, Cavalcante managed to elude hundreds of law enforcement officers, including tactical teams in full combat gear, tracking dogs, cops on horseback and on aircraft. Pennsylvania State Police Lt Col George Bivens had credited Cavalcante’s upbringing in rural Brazil for his ability to hide in the vast wooded terrains in Chester County.

The jailbreak on 31 August sparked fear among residents of the county’s suburbs, who were urged to keep their homes secure following a series of break-ins believed to be linked to Cavalcante. On 11 September, fears reached a fever pitch as Cavalcante stole a gun from a garage.

Pennsylvania State Police have confirmed that Danelo Cavalcante has been captured after almost two weeks on the run.

“A press conference announcing details of THE CAPTURE of Danelo Cavalcante is scheduled for 9:30am at the Po-Mar-Lin Fire company, 36 Firehouse Drive, Kennett Square, PA,” Pennsylvania State Police said in a social media post.

Cavalcante, 34, has not only eluded hundreds of US Marshalls, SWAT, FBI and state and local law enforcement officers — he has also managed to sneak past the established search perimeter time and time again and is now armed.

Over the weekend, the fugitive drove more than 25 miles from his initial hiding spot in Longwood Gardens after stealing a van that he then discarded in East Nantmeal Township.

Then on Monday night, he broke inside a garage in South Coventry Township and stole a .22 rifle before fleeing the scene.

Residents of the suburban Pennsylvania county are growing increasingly frustrated as police scramble to keep up with Cavalcante’s moves.

Police believe that Danelo Cavalcante is familiar with the area where he is currently on the run from authorities – as the manhunt enters its 14th day with the killer still at large.

Pennsylvania State Police Lt Col George Bivens said in a press conference on Tuesday that officials believe the convicted killer has been in the area before and knows where he is.

The search perimeter is currently focused on the South Coventry Township area including Routes 23 and 100, Fairview and Nantmeal Roads, and Iron Bridge and County Park Roads.

Police admitted it will take time to search the area for the killer and urged residents to stay inside.

Retired NYPD Sergeant Joseph Giacalone told Insider that it was only a matter of time for Pennsylvania authorities to capture Cavalcante.

Mr Giacalone, an adjunct professor at New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told the outlet that the delay in arresting the fugitive was in great part due to the difficulty in securing the search perimeter.

“This is like hide-and-go-seek, but at a massive level,” Mr Giacalone said. “The terrain is very difficult … There’s plenty of places to hide, whether it’s the densely populated woods, the cornfields, the barns,” as well as culverts and creeks.

He added: “You can’t blame the cops — they’re pulling out all the stops.”

Cavalcante’s mother Iracema Cavalcante said in an interview with The New York Times that she believes her 34-year-old son is better off dead than spending the rest of his life behind bars for the April 2021 murder of his former girlfriend Deborah Brandao.

“If it’s to go to a place to suffer and die in that place, it’s better to die soon,” Ms Cavalcante told the Times on Tuesday. “You don’t have to suffer so much.”

In the aftermath of Cavalcante’s escape, his mother recorded a message asking his son to surrender, which authorities then blasted into his previous hiding place from helicopters and patrol cars. She has now said that if she had another chance to communicate with her son, she would tell him to “ask God to forgive him for what he did.”

“If I said my son didn’t make a mistake, I’d be lying,” Ms Calvacante added. “I know what my son did was wrong. I know my son should pay for his mistake. But I want my son to pay for his mistake with dignity. Not to pay with his life.”

Cavalcante stabbed his former girlfriend Deborah Brandao 40 times in front of her young children.

He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole and escaped from Chester County Prison on 31 August while awaiting transfer to state prison.

In Brazil, prosecutors in Tocantins state have also accused Cavalcante of “double qualified homicide” in the 2017 slaying of Válter Júnior Moreira dos Reis in Figueirópolis, which they said was over a debt the victim owed him for repairing a vehicle.

“Cavalcante is believed to be within a perimeter in the South Coventry Township area: Routes 23 & 100, Fairview & Nantmeal Roads, and Iron Bridge & County Park Roads. Residents should secure buildings, property and vehicles. Report sightings or related activity immediately to 911,” Pennsylvania State Police said in the latest update.

For more than twelve days, Cavalcante has eluded US Marshalls, SWAT and FBI teams, state police and several local law enforcement agencies.

The reward offered for information that leads to Cavalcante’s capture has been increased to $25,000.

Pennsylvania State Police Lt Col George Bivens said that Cavalcante is now armed and the concern remains that he could manage to steal another vehicle to move farther away from the East Nantmeal Township and South Coventry Township area.

Terrified Pennsylvania residents are stocking up on guns after learning that escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante is now armed with a rifle while on the run.

On Tuesday, officials confirmed that Cavalcante broke into a garage at a home in East Nantmeal Township on Monday and stole a .22 caliber rifle.

The owner spotted the fugitive and fired seven shots at him as he fled.

With the manhunt now entering its 14th day and police coming under fire for failing to capture him, residents appear to be taking matters into their own hands.

Gun shop owners in Chester County told ABC6 that there has been an uptick in gun sales in the local area.

Chris Gordon – owner of Gordon’s Sport Supply, which is located along the periphery of the current search area – said that many people have .22 caliber rifles, the same model that Cavalcante is now armed with.

“A lot of people have them,” he said. “A lot of fun to target shoot with, small game hunt with. It would be appropriate being it has a 10-round magazine, which fits the bill with everything is going on.”

But he said people are now asking him for something quicker and easier to use if confronted by the convicted killer.