AFTER THE DANGEROUS KILLER ESCAPED FROM PRISON, A MAJOR MANHUNT WAS LAUNCHED
Danilo Cavalcante was not a stranger to law enforcement. As a teen in his native Brazil, he was arrested several times and charged with crimes including petty theft and possession of a deadly weapon. His early foray into criminal activity would, however, be a clear indication of what was to become a life of violence. In 2006, a 17-year-old Cavalcante was incarcerated for attempted murder after he stabbed a man during a robbery. Following his apprehension, he was sent to a juvenile detention centre where he would spend just two months before he climbed over a 14ft wall and escaped. Despite being caught and sent back to prison, when he was eventually freed, he continued to escalate his criminal activities.
In 2017, it was alleged that he murdered his friend Valter Moreira in a dispute over money. However, before he could be arrested for the killing, a clerical error saw Cavalcante able to board a flight to Puerto Rico, a second escape from authorities. He would eventually make his way to the US where he began a relationship with mother-of-two Deborah Brandao. But on 18 April 2021, Cavalcante murdered her in front of her two young children. In a brutal and unrelenting attack, he stabbed her 28 times in her own home. Once again, he would attempt to flee, this time to Mexico, but his third attempt to evade capture failed and he was taken into custody the following day.
In early August 2023, Cavalcante was finally sentenced to life behind bars for the slaying and was being held at Chester County Prison, Pennsylvania. But just one week after his sentencing for Deborah’s murder, Cavalcante, 34, would make his fourth escape. In shocking CCTV footage from 31 August, Cavalcante can be seen crab walking between two walls in the prison, before crossing a razor wire fence and making his getaway on foot. As authorities scrambled to find him, residents were put on high alert. With a dense suburban population at risk, schools were closed, homeowners were told to lock their doors, and multiple road blocks were put in place.
ON THE RUN
Hundreds of officers in armoured vehicles, led by US Marshals and accompanied by scent-trained US customs canines, descended onto Chester County, Pennsylvania. Cavalcante was caught on home surveillance cameras breaking into local houses to steal food and clothing – he also stole a gun from one property. Attempting to change his appearance, he was now on the run and armed. But his luck was starting to run out. On 10 September, a van that had been reported stolen and was believed to have been used by Cavalcante was found abandoned.
