By Kathy Luu
The Chester County escape case describes the saga that unfolded once Danilo Cavalcante, a convicted murderer, escaped Chester County Prison and evaded capture for nearly two weeks. Cavalcante was convicted for the 2021 murder of his former girlfriend, Deborah Brandão, and was being held in the Chester County Prison at the time of escape. He additionally had a warrant for his arrest on charges of homicide in his native country of Brazil in 2017. It is suspected that both Brandão’s discovery of this fact and her threat to give him up to the police contributed to his motive. Cavalcante tragically ended his ex-girlfriend’s life with 38 stabs in front of her two children, ages seven and three, both of whom are now in her sister’s care.
On August 31, 2023, Cavalcante was caught on surveillance “crab-walking” up a wall, a method previously used by an inmate who had attempted escape. He then made it to the roof, scaled a fence, and pushed through razor wire. The escape went undetected for one hour before an inmate headcount revealed a missing individual, and the watchtower guard on duty was ultimately found to be responsible due to his lack of attention.
During the two weeks, Cavalcante was spotted by citizens, state troopers, and surveillance cameras on various occasions. On the day following his escape from the prison, he was recognized by a civilian while breaking into a house, presumably for provisions in Pocopson township, which is roughly 14 miles from Chester County. Then, on September 4, Cavalcante was spotted on surveillance cameras in Longwood Gardens with a newly acquired backpack and duffle bag. He proceeded to be sighted by citizens multiple times across the next four days, but the police were constantly notified too late. With a 5-foot tall and 120 pound stature, Cavalcante used the county’s thick foliage and large woody expanses to conceal himself, mainly traveling during the nighttime and sleeping during the day.
On Saturday, September 9, Cavalcante reportedly stole a van and drove 20 miles to meet with an acquaintance with the hope of assistance or refuge. The acquaintance was not home at the time but the Ring doorbell captured Cavalcante’s new, clean-shaven image, notifying police that they were no longer looking for a bearded suspect. Two days later, the footprints of Cavalcante’s jail shoes were identified and the actual shoes found shortly after on a porch, where he had ditched them for a pair of stolen work boots. Later that day, a different homeowner would report the fugitive stealing a .22 caliber rifle from his garage. From this moment forward, Cavalcante was labeled “armed and dangerous” and local school districts and businesses in the area were notified and consequently closed. Locations where Cavalcante was sighted were placed on lockdown and those inside were instructed to shelter in place.
“I used to coach baseball and I live in Chester county; I feel like that area was heavily impacted. Although it was a county-oriented situation… it had a ‘web-effect,’” said Professor Reed, who teaches writing.
“The local police’s inability to capture Cavalcante within the first few days and his access to a car and firearm caused panic to ripple to the surrounding communities.”
The local police’s inability to capture Cavalcante within the first few days and his access to a car and firearm caused panic to ripple to the surrounding communities. His escape was not the first that Chester County has seen, however, most other escapees were apprehended within the day.
On September 13, Cavalcante would finally be seized with the help of helicopters, heat detectors, and search dogs. At 8:00 a.m. that day, police began to surround and close in on Cavalcante, who was attempting to hide in the underbrush. Soon after, he was found, caught, and subdued by a K-9 dog named Yoda, and taken into custody by the police. He is currently being held in the Montgomery County Prison while he awaits his transfer to state prison, where he will serve a life sentence for homicide and escape.
As previously stated, Cavalcante’s escape and escape method were not new to Chester County, turning the attention from the killer to the law enforcement and prison system. Although new razor wires were implemented following the previous inmate’s escape from the prison, human error proved to be the problem and not infrastructure. Blanche Carney, Philadelphia’s city prison commissioner, explained that the number of those incarcerated is increasing and there simply are not enough correctional staff to keep up. In 2023 alone, six inmates escaped from county prisons, compared to 14 in total from 2015 to 2022. Additionally, in a survey conducted by Pennsylvania Prison Society, a non-profit based in Philadelphia, it was found that Chester County Prison had one of the highest staff vacancy rates amongst other county prisons, with nearly one-fourth of their full-time positions empty.
Professor Reed added, “[Cavalcante’s escape] did highlight a prison in a residential area that was pretty affluent …and all of a sudden you’ve got prisoners walking around. I think that added to the dramatics of the story.”
Although many other county jails were impacted similarly following the pandemic, Cavalcante’s escape and its effects on the community highlighted the major repercussions that understaffing and underfunding in a prison can have.
Danilo Cavalcante has been referred to as Danelo Cavalcante in most reports published during the escape. Authorities changed it to Danilo following court filings on Wednesday, September 13.
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