Danelo Cavalcante, 34, stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death and was sentenced to life in prison.
Now he has escaped – and is spreading terror in Pennsylvania, USA, where he has been seen on surveillance images.
– Stay inside, lock your doors and your cars. He remains extremely dangerous, said District Attorney Deb Ryan.
Just this week, Danelo Cavalcante, 34, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandão, 33. It took just fifteen minutes for the jury to convict Cavalcante, who in 2021 inflicted 38 stab wounds on Brandão in front of her two young children.
Now the killer is again on the loose. On Thursday morning, Cavalcante escaped from Chester Prison in Pocopson Township, Pennsylvania, USA. According to ABC news authorities are still trying to get answers to how the killer, who was soon to be transferred to a state penitentiary, managed to escape – and whether someone on the inside helped.
– There is currently no evidence that anyone helped carry out the escape or is helping him right now, says District Attorney Deb Ryan in a press conference.
Seen near the prison
However, there is evidence that the killer has not moved very far. On the night of Saturday, he was seen on a surveillance camera a couple of kilometers from the prison. He was wearing a white t-shirt, white sneakers, a backpack and what police believe are gray prison pants.
– His appearance seems unchanged, says Deb Ryan.
A large search effort has been launched. Hundreds of police officers are involved in the hunt for Cavalcante and the police have received more than a hundred tips from residents in the area.
A person reported a break-in at their house near the jail on Friday night — a couple of hours before Cavalcante was caught on camera there.
A witness had seen someone who resembled the escaped killer, but it is still unclear if it was him, writes Daily Mail.
The police believe that it is “very likely” that he will try to break into homes in the area, write CNN.
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Danelo Cavalcante stabbed his ex-girlfriend 38 times in front of her children.
1 / 2Photo: AP
“Extremely dangerous”
When Brazil-born Cavalcante was arrested for the murder, there was also an arrest warrant issued against him for a murder in his home country in 2017. The prosecutor suspected that he wanted to “silence” his ex-girlfriend when she threatened to report him in that case.
Police are urging residents in the town of 5,000 near the prison to be cautious.
– We ask all residents of Pocopson Township to stay indoors. Lock your doors, lock your cars. He is still considered an extremely dangerous individual. We don’t think he got more than a few kilometers from the prison, says Deb Ryan.
At the weekend, Longwood Gardens – a popular tourist destination in the area – was closed at the request of the police. A museum asked its visitors to avoid its walking tour and a university a mile from the prison canceled Friday classes.
According to the district attorney, the search effort is moving forward.
– We believe that we will get closer to locating the suspect right now, and we are specifying our search work more.
Fled towards Mexico
Previously, it was believed that he would flee south, towards Mexico and on to Brazil. That’s what he had done after the murder of Brandão.
– Then he was arrested in Virginia, but his ultimate goal had been to go to Mexico and then to Brazil, says Robert Clark, a deputy chief of the US federal police agency.
– This is a very, very dangerous man. That’s why you see such commitment from the state police as well as the federal police agency and our partners at the local and state level.
In the Daily Mail, Clark says they hope to find him in the area soon.
– Apart from someone getting hurt, the last thing we would like to see is for him to get hold of some car keys and it becomes a car chase.
The agency has informed Brazilian authorities about Cavalcante’s escape.
The police have issued a reward of the equivalent of 110,000 kroner to whoever comes with information that can lead to the murderer being recaptured.