Danelo Cavalcante: The prisoner currently at the center of a massive manhunt, having escaped from a Pennsylvania prison last week, had committed a brutal stabbing in 2021, resulting in the death of his ex-girlfriend in front of her two young children, according to authorities.
Danelo Souza Cavalcante, a 34-year-old who was convicted just last month for this murder, managed to escape from Chester County Prison, located approximately 30 miles west of Philadelphia, on Thursday morning. This escape triggered an extensive search operation, involving hundreds of officers.
The search area was expanded on Tuesday morning when he was spotted in trail camera footage in Chester County, just south of the initial perimeter where authorities had believed him to be. As a result of this manhunt, two school districts canceled classes.
Cavalcante, a native of Brazil, stands at approximately 5 feet tall, has long, curly black hair, and brown eyes, as described by authorities. They have emphasized his extreme dangerousness and desperation to avoid capture, urging residents in areas near the prison to secure their doors, stay indoors, check on one another, and review their security camera footage.
Additionally, the US Marshals Service has reported that Cavalcante is wanted in connection with a 2017 homicide case in Brazil.
Authorities are offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to his arrest.
Here are the key details about him:
The Gruesome Murder:
Prosecutors allege that on April 18, 2021, Cavalcante confronted Deborah Brandão, his ex-girlfriend, who was outside her home with her two children.
Cavalcante forcibly grabbed her by the hair, threw her to the ground, and proceeded to stab her 38 times, targeting nearly every vital organ, which ultimately resulted in her bleeding to death, as stated by the Chester County district attorney’s office in a Facebook post.
In the aftermath of this horrific incident, Brandão’s 7- and 4-year-old children sought help from their neighbors, while Cavalcante fled the scene, according to the district attorney’s office.
Several hours later, he was arrested in Virginia as authorities believed he was attempting to flee to Mexico with intentions of eventually heading to Brazil, as confirmed by District Attorney Deb Ryan.
Schuylkill Township police were called to the scene at approximately 4:17 p.m. on the day of the murder. They found Brandão on the ground with multiple stab wounds to her chest, as reported by the district attorney’s office. A neighbor attempted life-saving measures while awaiting emergency medical services, but Brandão was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
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