Fugitive killer Danelo Cavalcante has been captured in Pennsylvania after a novel chase that lasted nearly two weeks and during which the public lived moments of panic, police said.
Cavalcante, 34, had been spotted by security cameras multiple times in the previous days, but had evaded capture. Police said Tuesday he was armed after stealing a rifle from the garage of a resident, who shot him without apparently injuring him.
Police scheduled a news conference at 9:30 a.m. to offer details of the capture.
The fugitive was sentenced last month to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandão, 33. The crime occurred in front of the woman's children.
Cavalvante escaped Aug. 31 from the Chester County Jail in Pocopson Township, climbing the walls of the prison to the ceiling. The escape was recorded in an unusual video that surprised the authorities and the public.
Authorities show a photo of convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante, in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 10, 2023.Getty Images
"At 10:10 p.m. we received a call from a resident on Coventryville Road stating that a short, shirtless, dark pants Hispanic man had entered his garage while the homeowner was there and that he took a .22 caliber rifle that was leaning against the corner of the garage," Pennsylvania State Police spokesman George Bivins said Tuesday.
The homeowner fired a pistol several times at the fugitive, who police said was Cavalcante. But the inmate "fled with the rifle" and there is no indication he was injured, he said.
State police reported over the weekend that the fugitive hadbeen spotted "north of Chester County near the Phoenixville area." The images showed that Cavalcante had shaved his beard and had a different appearance.
"He is clean, clean-shaven and was last seen wearing a yellow or green sweatshirt, a black baseball cap, green prison pants and white shoes," police said over the weekend.
He dodged civilian shots and stole a rifle: the hunt for the escaped killer takes a dramatic turn
Sept. 12, 202303:06
It was also reported that the fugitive stole a white truck, but it was presumed that he had abandoned it after running out of fuel.
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Police also said during the course of the chase that Cavalcante was "seeking support" from acquaintancesin the Phoenixville area and that footage of him being shaved and clean was recorded by the surveillance camera at the home of someone he worked with years ago.