(UnitedVoice.com) – In 2021, Danelo Cavalcante stabbed his ex-girlfriend, 33-year-old Deborah Brandão, 38 times in front of her young children. He was sentenced to life, but escaped Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania on August 31. The murderer is now in custody after a two-week manhunt that captured the nation’s attention.
On Wednesday, September 13, a call went out over a radio notifying law enforcement officials in Chester County that Cavalcante was in custody. He’d been missing since crab walking up a wall at the prison, running through razor wire, and taking off into the woods. During his two weeks on the run, police officers used the public’s surveillance systems to track him.
The day before authorities caught the convicted murderer, they informed residents in the area that he was armed. He’d reportedly stolen a rifle from a homeowner’s garage. The manhunt came to an end after the escapee set off a home’s burglary alarm.
Lt. Col. George Bivens, with the Pennsylvania State Police, held a news conference to explain how police caught him. After setting off the alarm, police expanded the search zone. They used a US Drug Administration aircraft with thermal technology to pick up his location in the woods. They found his heat signature, but then lightning grounded the plane. Once the storm was over, the aircraft went back up and found him again.
Tactical teams were then able to surround Cavalcante. Bivens said, “They were able to move in very quietly. They had the element of surprise.” Suddenly, law enforcement pounced. The escapee tried to run, but the police released 4-year-old Yoda, a Belgian Malinois, who helped subdue him.
Deputy US Marshal Robert Clark told The Associated Press that Yoda bit Cavalcante on the scalp. A photo later showed him with a bloody face. The dog then bit him on the thigh, and that caused the escapee to submit to law enforcement.
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