Danelo Cavalcante Bio – Early Life, Sister, Ex-lover Murder, Prison Escape, Recapture

Danelo Cavalcante is known for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao. He escaped Chester County prison but was later re-arrested.
Having become a fugitive in Brazil, he escaped to Puerto Rico, an unincorporated U.S. territory, in search of refuge.
Eventually, he established residence in Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he maintained a low profile to dodge law enforcement.
In Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennslyvania, he killed his ex-lover, Sarah Brandao.
He tried to escape the consequence of murdering his girlfriend but was apprehended a day later by authorities, who tracked him down using his cell phone.He was detained in Chester County prison but escaped on August 21, 2023, leading to a two-week manhunt. He was re-arrested on captured Wednesday, September 13, 2023.

Danelo Cavalcante Early Life

Prison headshot of Danelo Cavalcante after his first arrest. (Credits: ABC News)
Danelo Souza Cavalcante was born on July 3, 1989. He is 34 years old.
Danelo’s early life was characterized by abject poverty and lack. He faced abuse while growing up in the rural areas of Sáo Paulo.
His decision to become a threat to society may be attributed to his adolescence, during which he affiliated with gangs.
Such a pattern is commonly seen when individuals who have experienced abuse seek solace within gang communities for protection.
In his teenage years, he was known to be addicted to drugs and intoxicating alcoholic drinks.
Danelo Cavalcante’s Motive For Killing His Girlfriend
Danelo’s motive for murdering Deborah Brandao stemmed from her finding of his criminal history in Brazil, leading her to try to end their relationship. On April 18, 2021, Danelo drove to her home and brutally stabbed her over 30 times, ultimately killing her in front of her two children.
Deborah Brandao, 33, is a Brazilian woman who moved to the US (legally) to seek a better life. She lived with her two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, in the same neighborhood where Danelo lived.
Deborah Brandao and Cavalcante began dating in 2019, according to Sarah Brandao, Deborah’s sister.
Deborah and Danelo were known to be dating and happy together, but things began to take a dark turn when Deborah learned of Danelo’s criminal history in Brazil.
She wanted to end the relationship with him, but Danelo could not let her go due to the information she already knew about him – fearing she would expose him to the police.
Danelo’s motive to kill his girlfriend was to tie up loose ends like his ex-girlfriend, who knows of his murder history in Brazil.
They dated for about a year until Deborah filed for Protection From Abuse in December 2020, when Danelo pulled a knife.
April 18, 2021, was the last for Deborah on earth. Multiple sources report that her tumultuous relationship with Danelo led to the wanted criminal driving down to her home and stabbing her 37 – 38 times.
Danelo Cavalcante drove from his home in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, with a knife to Deborah’s home in Schuylkill.
Danelo sparked an argument with Deborah outside her home in the 300 block of Pawling Road. As the argument got tense, he dragged her by the hair, threw her to the ground, and stabbed her multiple times from chest to throat. He killed her in front of her two children.
Brandao’s children ran from the scene to the neighbor’s apartment to get help. Brandao was later pronounced dead at Paoli Hospital.
Danelo Cavalcante’s Arrest
Danelo Cavalcante faced arrest in the United States for the murder of Deborah Brandao, but his criminal history traces back to Brazil. In 2017, he allegedly shot and killed a friend, Valter Moriera Dos Reis, over a debt. Despite a warrant issued in 2018, he managed to evade Brazilian authorities and settled in Pennsylvania, where he later murdered Deborah. After fleeing the scene, he was captured in Virginia and brought back to Pennsylvania for justice.
Danelo escaped law enforcement in Brazil but met his fate in the United States.
In Brazil, he killed his close friend, 20-year-old Valter Moriera Dos Reis, over a debt owed by Dos Reis. The BBC reported that he allegedly shot Dos Reis six times, stole his cell phone, and then fled the scene in a car. Brazilian Police said he shot his debtor dead in the town of Figueriopolis, located in the northern state of Tocantinis, in November 2017
Local police were alerted, but they could not catch Danelo.
A warrant was issued for Cavalcante’s arrest in June 2018. Still, the warrant was not put into the nation’s federal system, allowing Danelo to escape law enforcement and cross the border to the United States, according to Regional District Attorney Rafael Alamy in Brazil.
Danelo found his way to the United States and settled in Pennslyvania.
There, he lived next to this murder victim and ex-girlfriend, Deborah.
With the help of some friends, Danelo escaped the scene where he murdered Deborah. However, he was later apprehended in Virginia and brought back to Chester County, Pennsylvania, to face justice for Brandao’s killing.
Danelo Cavalcante’s Escapes Prison in Chester County
Danelo Cavalcante, sentenced on August 22, 2023, to 30 days in Chester County Prison, escaped on August 31, 2023. During a head count after a basketball game, his disappearance was noticed at 9:50 a.m. He climbed over razor wire by crab-walking up a wall in an unguarded prison yard, prompting a lockdown and a public alert by the Chester County District Attorney’s office.
After Sentencing on August 22, 2023, Danelo Cavalcante was held at Chester County Prison after his sentencing for 30 days so he could converse with his attorneys about whether he would file an appeal of his conviction before being transferred to the state prison.
However, Danelo Cavalcante escaped from Chester County Prison around 8:50 a.m. on Thursday. August 31, 2023.
Cavalcante’s disappearance was discovered during a head count after his block returned inside at about 9:50 a.m. following the basketball game. The jail was then placed under lockdown, and the 911 center was notified ten minutes later.

Prison capture of Danelo crab-walking to escape through the prison roof. (Credits: Delaware Online)
Officials said he escaped a prison yard by “crab walking” up a wall and over razor wire. According to security footage, Cavalcante stood in the passageway, placed his hands against the wall and his feet against another, then crab-walked his way upward.

There were no prison guards walking in the yard at the time of the escape.
The Chester County District Attorney’s office alerted the public about the escape.
Danelo Cavalcante’s Recapture
For two weeks, communities across Pennsylvania were terrified, with schools closed, and inhabitants ordered to stay indoors as the convicted murderer eluded detection and stole a handgun. 
A prison officer, an 18-year veteran in an observation tower who missed the escape, has been fired.

Danelo Cavalcante after the murder of his ex, Deborah. (Credits: NBC News)
Authorities stated in a “case outline” that a “combined reward” of $5,000 from the US Marshals Service and $5,000 from Chester County would be offered. Crime Stoppers is adding another $15,000 to the prize, bringing the total to $25,000.
Law enforcement teams from the US Marshals Service, SWAT, and other federal agencies had joined the hunt for Cavalcante. At first, the marshals used helicopters, drones, and other resources to look for Cavalcante. 
Police reports said that since the escape, there were eight sightings that police believe could be Cavalcante.
A Plane fitted with a thermal imaging camera picked up Danelo Souza Cavalcante’s heat signal in the woods, allowing Pennsylvania State Police and Border Patrol SWAT teams to secure the area, surround him, and move in with search dogs.
The enormous manhunt ended on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. On Wednesday, he was captured just before 8:15 a.m. in a wooded area north of Prizer Road and west of Route 100 in South Coventry Twp. A team of tactical officers captured him with the help of a K9 named Yoda.

Danelo Cavalcante’s Appearances Before Recapture
On September 4, a trail surveillance camera saw him wandering in a section of Longwood Gardens in East Marlborough Township. During his escape, Cavalcante got a rucksack and a hooded sweater, according to the pictures.
Cavalcante was also seen at the crossroads of Routes 926 and 52 in Pocopson Township, then north on Route 52 to Parkersville Road, southeast to Route 926, and west to the intersection of Routes 926 and 52.

A CCTV capture of Danelo Cavalcante after his prison escape. (Credits: WHHY)
Cavalcante entered the house through an ancient French door that couldn’t lock properly, according to Mr Drummond. He said his nine-year-old daughter had expressed concern about Cavalcante being able to enter the house through the door, but he sought to convince her that the murdered prisoner was most likely a long distance away.
On September 9, Danelo was seen near Phoenixville in northern Chester County. Earlier that day, he had stolen a white 2020 Ford Transit van, which he had used to travel from Longwood Gardens to Phoenixville.
Related Story: Bryana Holly
Danelo Cavalcante Sister’s Arrest by the ICE

The police questioned the neighbors after Eleni Cavalcante’s arrest. (Credits: Buffalo News)
On September 10, state police announced that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had arrested Cavalcante’s sister, Eleni Cavalcante, for overstaying her welcome. According to Lt Col George Bivens, she fears deportation.
Mr Bivens did not clarify whether she is suspected of assisting her brother Cavalcante, but he did claim she was of “no value” in the search for her brother. Cavalcante isn’t on the run for the first time.