Manhunt continues for convicted murderer who escaped prison in Pennsylvania

Sarah Gambles
·3 min read
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This aerial photo shows Chester County Prison on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, in West Chester, Pa. Danelo Cavalcante, convicted this month of fatally stabbing his girlfriend escaped Aug. 31 from the suburban Philadelphia prison. Prosecutors say he is also wanted in his native Brazil in a separate slaying.
This aerial photo shows Chester County Prison on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, in West Chester, Pa. Danelo Cavalcante, convicted this month of fatally stabbing his girlfriend escaped Aug. 31 from the suburban Philadelphia prison. Prosecutors say he is also wanted in his native Brazil in a separate slaying. | WPVI-TV/6ABC via Associated Press

A manhunt that involves police dogs, drones and helicopters, for a recently convicted murderer continues in Pennsylvania after he escaped from the prison Thursday morning.

“If you see him do not approach him,” Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said during a news conference, per NBC News. “We’re asking you please to contact 911.”

He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, gray shorts and white sneakers. He is 5 feet tall, weighs 120 pounds, has long black curly hair and brown eyes, The Washington Post reports.

This photo provided by the Chester County Prison shows Danelo Cavalcante. Cavalcante, convicted this month of fatally stabbing his girlfriend escaped Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, from the suburban Philadelphia prison and prosecutors say he is also wanted in his native Brazil in a separate slaying. | Chester County Prison via Associated Press
This photo provided by the Chester County Prison shows Danelo Cavalcante. Cavalcante, convicted this month of fatally stabbing his girlfriend escaped Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, from the suburban Philadelphia prison and prosecutors say he is also wanted in his native Brazil in a separate slaying. | Chester County Prison via Associated Press

Who is the escaped convicted murderer in Pennsylvania?

Danelo Cavalcante is a 34-year-old man who was convicted on Aug. 16 of murdering his 33-year-old former girlfriend. He was sentenced to life in prison without chance for parole, according to NBC Philadelphia.

Cavalcante was serving his sentence in Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township, Pennsylvania, per CBS News. Residents in the area were alerted about the search and Ryan warned that Cavalcante is “considered an extremely dangerous man.”

What happened to Deborah Brandao?

The murder Cavalcante was convicted of involved him fatally stabbing Deborah Brandao 38 times in front of her two children, who were only 4 and 7 at the time, according to a statement from the Chester County District Attorney. One of the children “ran for help and neighbors attempted to assist.”

During the investigation into the murder, detectives discovered that Cavalcante had “assaulted and threatened to kill the victim during other incidents,” per the statement. According to the investigation, Brandao found that Cavalcante was wanted in connection to an open murder case in Brazil and “threatened to expose him to the police.”

Police determined the threat was likely “the motive for the murder.”

The New York Times reported that Cavalcante was formerly in a gang in Brazil is wanted in connection to “the 2017 murder of a man who owed him money” in Brazil.

How did Cavalcante escape the Pennsylvania prison?

Howard Holland, acting warden for the prison, told the Post that an investigation into what happened that allowed Cavalcante to escape is ongoing.

“Once we noticed we had an issue with an inmate not being there, we followed protocols, locked down the prison, did what we call a special count to confirm that there was only one person missing,” he told the Post.

Cavalcante was being held in the prison waiting for a planned transfer into the state prison system, per the Times.

There is a $10,000 reward for Cavalcante’s capture, and anyone with information about the suspect is advised to call 9-1-1 or the U.S. Marshal tipline at 1-877-WANTED2 (1-877-926-8332).