Escaped prisoner Danelo Calavante’s plan was to drive to Canada in a stolen car before being captured by ‘hero’ dog Yoda, US Marshals reveal – as the sister of the woman he murdered, cops thank for catching him
- Cavalcante was captured on Wednesday after a two-week manhunt
- Over 500 agents were actively searching for Cavalcante, who somehow managed to escape the initial search area around the prison
- READ MORE: How Cavalcante went from ‘nice neighbor to jealous friend’
Escaped prisoner Danelo Calavante planned to drive to Canada in a stolen car before being captured by a K-9 hero named Yoda after a two-week escape, a US marshal has revealed.
Cavalcante, 34, survived two weeks on the run by eating watermelon he stole from a farm, drinking water from a stream and burying his feces so police couldn’t find him, according to Assistant U.S. Marshall Robert Clark , who led the escape manhunt.
The Brazilian native, who was in the country illegally, escaped from the Chester County Jail, 30 miles west of Philadelphia, by committing a crime just days after he was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 33-year-old Deborah Brandão Wall climbed in 2021.
His victim’s sister, Saraha Brandao, thanked police on Wednesday for their work and said the family was “deeply grateful for the support and hard work, but also for the hard work over the last few days.”
She added: “In this moment, my family and I need to regroup and focus on processing everything that has happened while also taking care of ourselves.”
Escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante was captured Wednesday morning
After two weeks on the run, he was captured by a K-9 hero named Yoda
Cavalcante, 34, survived two weeks on the run by eating watermelon he stole from a farm, drinking water from a stream and burying his feces so police couldn’t find him
“The last two weeks have been extremely painful and frightening as they have brought back all the feelings of the loss of my sister and the thought of the perpetrator hurting us again.”
Speaking to NewsNation, Clark said Cavalcante agreed to speak with an interpreter after his capture and was “brutally honest” about his time on the run.
“He said he planned to attack someone in the community and drive north to Canada or try to get back to Puerto Rico,” Clark said. “He said he would do that in the next 24 hours and that was the reason he kept that firearm. “He knew he needed a gun to get into a vehicle.”
Cavalcante said he didn’t stray far from the Chester County Jail in his first three days on the run and was nearly “stepped on” several times by police who came within seven to eight yards of him.
About 25 officers managed to surprise him as they surrounded him Wednesday morning, but Cavalcante, wearing a Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt, tried to escape again using the rifle he had stolen from a home he broke into on Monday was, crawling through the undergrowth.
The officers then released a police dog to catch the murderer. The dog bit him on the scalp and the injury was treated at the scene, police said. After capturing a bloodied Cavalcante, the search party’s SWAT officers paraded him like a trophy and posed for a photo with him around 8 a.m. EST.
After being captured, he was taken in an armored vehicle to a nearby state police barracks, surrounded by a convoy of dozens of vehicles that drove along the highway with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Two police helicopters followed above.
According to Judge Matthew Seavey’s office, Cavalcante was charged with escape at the Avondale Barracks. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for September 27.
He was booked into the SCI Phoenix maximum security prison in Montgomery County to begin serving the life sentence he received last month for killing his ex-girlfriend.
More charges are expected Thursday for crimes Cavalcante committed while on the run.