He killed his girlfriend in front of her kids. Now he’s on the run from prison

Danelo Cavalcante was convicted of murder charges in August for brutally stabbing his former girlfriend to death in front of her children.

Less than two weeks after receiving a life sentence, the 34-year-old sparked fresh terror as he broke free from a Pennsylvania jail.

A massive manhunt is now underway to locate Cavalcante, who is considered “extremely dangerous”.

Cavalcante was found guilty of the murder of Deborah Brandao on 16 August – more than two years after he stabbed her 38 times with a kitchen knife in Schuylkill Township back in April 2021. Prosecutors said he killed Brandao to stop her from telling police about an active arrest warrant he was facing for another alleged murder in his home country of Brazil in 2017.

Just days into beginning his life sentence for Brandao’s killing, Cavalcante broke free from the Chester State Prison on the morning of 31 August.

Here is everything we know about Cavalcante and his escape:

The escape

Cavalcante escaped from the Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township, Pennsylvania, at around 8.50am on Thursday (31 August).

At the time, other inmates in the exercise yard were playing basketball. Video of the incident showed him crab-walking up a wall and pushing through razor wire in order to gain access to the prison’s roof.

He then jumped down into another area of the prison and left on foot. The unconventional method is exactly the same that was used by another inmate back in May, Chester County Prison acting Warden Howard Holland said.

During that incident, the inmate was captured within minutes after a tower officer reported the break to prison staff. In Cavalcante’s case, the tower officer tasked with surveilling the escape route failed to report the jailbreak, which went unnoticed for nearly an hour.

Cavalcante’s absence was only noticed during a head count when his block returned back inside around 9.50am after the basketball game. The jail was then put into lockdown and the 911 centre was notified 10 minutes later.

Mr Holland said the tower officer who failed to report the escape is now on administrative leave and his performance is at the centre of an investigation by the state attorney’s office. The acting warden said that appropriate action would be taken against personnel based on the results of the investigation.

Mr Holland said that following the escape attempt in May, the prison had brought consultants in to increase security at the facility. Razor wire — which Cavalcante pushed through — was placed to prevent access to the roof, but officials didn’t expect “the human element” to fail, Mr Holland said.

“While we believed that the security measures we had in place were sufficient, they have proven otherwise,” Mr Holland said. “And we will work to enhance our security … One key difference in [this] escape is the role of the tower officer whose primary responsibility is to oversee the inmate in the exercise yard.”

Mr Holland declined to say what the prison officer was believed to be doing during the escape, only noting that he was at the post.

Sightings of Cavalcante

Authorities said during a press conference on Thursday that the search perimeter had to be expanded to between eight to 10 square miles after Cavalcante slipped past the initial search area.

There was a possible sighting of Cavalcante on 7 September that was being investigated, state police said, but further details about the sighting and who reported it were not disclosed. It came hours after another person reported seeing Cavalcante in an area of Longwood Gardens in East Marlborough Township.

On 4 September, a surveillance camera on a trail had captured him walking through its grounds.

The images show that Cavalcante has obtained a backpack and a hooded sweatshirt during his escape.

(PA State Trooper and Chester County District Attorney)

Cavalcante has been seen at the intersection of Routes 926 and 52, north on Route 52 to Parkersville Road, southeast to Route 926 and west to the intersection of Routes 926 and 52 in Pocopson Township, police said.

There have also been two reported burglaries in the area that police have investigated, but these are not currently confirmed to be linked to the escaped prisoner.

However, Lt Colonel George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said that the incidents “are of interest to us”.

West Chester resident Ryan Drummond claimed in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer that one of Cavalcante’s confirmed sightings occurred at his home. Mr Drummond said that he woke up to noises downstairs on 1 September and realised that there was an intruder.

“I decided not to confront him and thought it was a better move to flick the light switch,” Mr Drummond, whose wife and children were also in the home, told the Inquirer. “And he flicked it back at me, which was terrifying, so I told my wife to call 911.”

Mr Drummond said that Cavalcante entered the home through an old French door that couldn’t lock properly.

He said his nine-year-old daughter had raised fears about Cavalcante being able to gain access to the home through the door, but he tried to reassure her that the murder convict was likely far away.

“The last few days have been surreal. It’s tough,” Mr Drummond said. “We’re all jumpy, and I could see this has taken a psychological toll on my kids. If they’re in the room by themselves, they’re calling for us.”

(Chester County district attorney office)

In an image previously released by the Chester County District Attorney, Cavalcante was wearing trousers, a light-coloured t-shirt, white sneakers and a backpack. He is described as having long, black curly hair and police said his “appearance has remained unchanged.”

Given the danger around the situation, residents have been asked to “remain indoors at this time. Lock your vehicles. Review your surveillance cameras and contact police if you observe anything suspicious,” DA Deb Ryan said.

Cavalcante has so far eluded hundreds of law officers, including tactical teams in full combat gear, tracking dogs, cops on horseback and from aircraft.

As the search continues, nervous residents remain alert for any sign of the fugitive.

The manhunt

Police put out a poster with images of Cavalcante, both caught on the CCTV footage and a picture of him from prison.

Authorities said in a “case outline” that there would be a “combined reward” of $5,000 from the US Marshals Service and $5,000 from Chester County. Crime Stoppers is offering an additional $10,000, bringing the reward total to $20,000.

“Danelo Souza Cavalcante is wanted by Chester County Detectives, Pennsylvania State Police and the United States Marshals Service (USMS) for escaping from the Chester County

“Prison on 8/31/2023. Cavalcante is also wanted for homicide in Brazil. He is a Brazilian national fluent in Portuguese and Spanish,” the wanted poster reads.

Authorities said law enforcement teams, including the US Marshals, SWAT and other federal agencies, have joined the search to find Cavalcante.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports US Marshal Supervisory Agent Robert Clark said Friday that the agency had received hundreds of tips from residents.

It was reported by the outlet that the marshals employed helicopters, drones and other resources to search for Cavalcante in the heavily wooded areas near the prison.

Law enforcement also blasted a message from his mother, speaking in Portuguese, into his hiding place from police helicopters and patrol cars.

Robert Clark, supervisory deputy US Marshal for the Easter District of Pennsylvania spoke at a conference explaining why these tactics were being deployed.

“As desperate as he is, maybe he has a change of thought and hears his mother telling him to surrender, and his family cares about him,” Mr Clark said.

“Perhaps this is what puts him over the edge where we can get a peaceful surrender.”

While Mr Clark did not confirm the exact wording of the message to Cavalcante, he said that the killer’s mother was urging him to turn himself in to authorities.

“She’s just encouraging that his family loves him, and that she wants him to surrender. And that’s what our hope is as well,” he said.

The murder

Cavalcante was convicted of the murder of 33-year-old Deboral Brandao on 16 August after the jury deliberated for just 15 minutes. He was sentenced to life in prison on 22 August.

Cavalcante and Brandao reportedly met through mutual friends and moved in together with her two children not long after their two-year relationship began.

Prosecutors outlined his domestic abuse against Brandao during the trial.

(Brandao family handout)

It was reported that in June 2020, Cavalcante bit Brandao on her lip hard enough to draw blood and chased her and her children out of their home. Brandao and her kids hid in a neighbour’s apartment and a warrant was issued by police for Cavalcante’s arrest. However, he did not turn himself in.

Later that year, Cavalcante allegedly attacked Brandao again, chasing her with a knife, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Brandao then filed for a temporary abuse order against him, but this lapsed in March 2021 when she did not appear at a hearing.

According to evidence presented at the trial, the two kept in touch and police said Cavalcante drove to Brandao’s home to confront her in April 2021.

While Brandao’s children, then aged seven and three, were playing near by, Cavalcante pulled her hair and threw her to the ground. He then began to stab her repeatedly.

Brandao was later pronounced dead at Paoli Hospital, the outlet said. Two friends of Cavalcante testified during his trial that they helped the murder convict escape and gave him clean clothes so he could “disappear” for a while.

Prosecutors said Cavalcante killed Brandao to stop her from telling police about his outstanding arrest warrant for murder in Brazil.

He was captured in Virginia shortly after the stabbing, while police said he was attempting to return to Brazil.

Brandao’s sister Sarah Brandao said in an interview that she has been terrified since Cavalcante’s jailbreak.

“I haven’t slept for many days,” Ms Brandao said. “I have been waking up with fright at night.”

Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said during a press conference on Thursday that Ms Brandao and her family are being protected by police.

“They do have protection and they are terrified. They haven’t left their home, they’re barricaded inside their home and they are very scared,” Ms Ryan said. “We do have police detail surrounding the home but I know they are very scared and very, very worried.”

Cavalcante is described as 5 foot tall with light complexion, shaggy black curly hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about Cavalcante’s current whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the US Marshals’ Tipline at 877-WANTED-2.