Officials have learned that Danelo Cavalcante, the convicted killer who spent two weeks on the run following a spectacular jailbreak, planned to carjack a vehicle to escape the state and survived by eating watermelon from a field and concealing his waste.
Cavalcante broke out of Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township on August 31 after being found guilty of killing his ex-girlfriend in front of her two small children. The 34-year-old was apprehended Wednesday morning following a two-week-long, intensive search.
Robert Clark, the supervisory deputy U.S. Marshal in the eastern district of Pennsylvania, claimed on NBC News’ Top Story with Tom Llamas on Wednesday night that Cavalcante confessed to investigators his plans to leave the country when he was apprehended and revealed how he had survived on the run.
Early on in the investigation, according to Clark, “he claimed that he had discovered watermelons on a watermelon farm and that he was subsisting solely on watermelons, drinking from the stream, and only moving at night.”
Despite many sightings that raised the alert level in Chester County, he hid by hiding beneath dense, nearly impenetrable undergrowth. He changed his appearance after stealing a rucksack from a house, opening it to discover a razor and shaving.
In order for law enforcement to be unable to identify the locations where he was bending down, Clark claimed that the offender “went so far as to conceal his fecal matter.”
Following his arrest, Cavalcante admitted to using a weapon he had taken from a garage on Monday evening to rob someone.
He needed a weapon and kept onto that rifle because his ultimate goal was to carjack someone, according to Clark. He claimed that the second perimeter’s law police presence was overpowering, so he made the decision to carjack someone and flee north, perhaps toward Canada or Puerto Rico.
There was no better moment for us to find and capture him because that was his intended course of action for the following 24 hours, he said.
Extreme heat, dense forests, and a vast wilderness were some of the difficult environmental conditions Clark mentioned throughout the quest.
In the end, he confessed to those factors during a post-arrest interview. He felt like he needed to change locations since there were at least three occasions when law enforcement personnel were on the verge of stepping on him and the area was crowded, according to Clark.
In order to capture Cavalcante, he explained, a tactical perimeter had to be established, resources had to be cut off, communication with the outside world had to be stopped, and the fugitive had to be stressed out in order to “make him make mistakes, make him move.”
On Wednesday, the plan was fully realized.
Around one in the morning on Wednesday, a US Drug Enforcement Administration aircraft detected what was thought to be Cavalcante’s heat signature, and teams went to the region. However, because of the extreme weather, the plane had to take off. Until they could continue monitoring the heat signal in the morning, tactical forces held that inner perimeter overnight.
A Pennsylvania State Police Team and a Border Patrol tactical unit (BORTAC) surrounded the area on Wednesday shortly after 8 a.m.
“He received verbal orders to leave the hiding place he was in. No, he didn’t. When he actually began to crawl away, the tactical dog was let loose, according to Clark.
Yoda, a Belgian Malinois BORTAC K9 who is 4 years old, bit Cavalcante on the crown of his head and a lower extremity at that point.
“I have no doubt that Cavalcante was suffering greatly. The tactical teams were able to get him into custody after he eventually complied with some of the verbal demands, according to Clark.
Authorities from Pennsylvania announced the long-awaited capture during a news conference on Wednesday morning. Cavalcante was photographed during his arrest when he was handcuffed and sporting an Eagles hoodie.
In addition to being “incredibly proud” of police officers, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro noted on Thursday’s “TODAY” program that he was also proud of Chester County residents who “remained vigilant.”
“Thank God, there were no casualties and no threats to the neighborhood. In the end, we found ourselves in a position to witness the best of law enforcement. State, local, and federal law enforcement are collaborating to find this individual and take him into custody safely.
For fatally stabbing his 33-year-old ex-girlfriend Deborah Brando, Cavalcante was found guilty of first-degree murder on August 16 and was given a life sentence without the chance of parole. In relation to a murder that occurred in his native Brazil in 2017, he is also wanted there.
He has been charged with felony escape since his prison break.
He was sent to a maximum security facility in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday afternoon.
The Chester County district attorney, Deb Ryan, declared on Wednesday that “our nightmare is finally over and the good guys won.” Cavalcante was apprehended.