Danelo Cavalcante: Convicted murderer who escaped prison by ‘crab-walking’ up wall is caught by police
Danelo Cavalcante, 34, broke out of Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania on 31 August.
James Robinson
Sky News reporter @thejournojames
Wednesday 13 September 2023 21:48, UK
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A convicted murderer who broke out of prison by “crab-walking” over the walls has been caught after a nearly two-week-long manhunt.
Danelo Cavalcante was captured in the woods by a team of tactical officers, with thermal imaging equipment in the air and search dogs.
He had escaped from Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania on 31 August.
CCTV showed the 34-year-old killer stretching himself between a pair of parallel walls from the prison’s recreation yard in order to climb them.
He then crossed over razor wire and ran across a roof, making it undetected past a prison guard in a rooftop watchtower to complete his escape.
His jailbreak went undetected for more than an hour until guards took a head count.
Escaped fugitive Danelo Cavalcante, 34, a Brazilian who escaped from Chester County Prison where he was awaiting transfer to a state prison to serve a life sentence for killing his ex-girlfriend, is taken into custody by law enforcement officers in Chester County, Pennsylvania, U.S. September 13, 2023. Pennsylvania State Police/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION HAS BEEN PROVIDED SEPA
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Escaped fugitive Danelo Cavalcante is taken into custody
Officers escort Danelo Cavalcante from a Pennsylvania State Police barracks. Pic: AP
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Officers escort Cavalcante from a Pennsylvania State Police barracks. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
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Pic: AP
The capture
Hundreds of state and local police along with federal agents were involved in the search for Cavalcante.
During his two weeks on the run he broke into homes for food, changed his appearance, and stole a van and rifle.
Police eventually tracked him down using a plane fitted with a thermal imaging camera which picked up his heat signal, allowing tactical teams on the ground to secure the area, surround him and move in with search dogs.
“They were able to move in very quietly. They had the element of surprise,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt Col George Bivens said at a news conference.
“Cavalcante did not realise he was surrounded until that had occurred,” he added.
Danelo Cavalcante. Pic: US Marshals Service Philadelphia
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Danelo Cavalcante. Pic: US Marshals Service Philadelphia
The fugitive – still armed with the rifle he stole from a homeowner’s garage – tried to escape by crawling through thick underbrush.
But a US Customs and Border Protection officer released a search dog that subdued him. Cavalcante still tried to resist arrest and was bitten on the scalp, suffering a minor wound.
Following his capture he was taken to a nearby state police barracks in an armoured vehicle in the middle of a dozen-vehicle convoy.
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“I’m proud to announce the subject is in custody. Repeating, subject is in custody,” a Chester County official announced in a broadcast radio call on Wednesday morning.
His capture comes a day after police set up a fortified perimeter following sightings of Cavalcante in the South Coventry Township area on Monday evening.
Law enforcement officers gather as they search for escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante in Glenmoore, Pa., Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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Law enforcement officers involved in the search for Cavalcante. Pic: AP
US authorities said he was shot at by a homeowner who found him in his garage stealing a rifle.
Cavalcante was convicted on 16 August of the murder of a 33-year-old former girlfriend.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the stabbing.
Danelo Cavalcante before his escape. Pic: Chester County District Attorney
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Danelo Cavalcante before his escape. Pic: Chester County District Attorney
He was being held in Chester County Prison while awaiting transfer to a state prison to serve his term.
Cavalcante is also wanted in his native Brazil, where he is accused of “double qualified homicide” in the 2017 killing of Valter Junior Moreira dos Reis in the municipality of Figueiropolis, over a debt the victim owed him for repairing a vehicle.
A county spokesperson said an 18-year veteran guard who missed spotting Cavalcante’s escape has since been fired.
The guard, who has not been identified, had a mobile phone in the tower, a violation of Chester County Prison policy, according to the county representative.
