Danelo Cavalcante planned carjacking to flee to Canada before capture - latest updates

Fugitive was left with a bloody face after suffering bite from Belgium Malinois dog Yoda as he was captured after almost two weeks on the run on Wednesday

Danelo Cavalcante escape video

Escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante has revealed how he survived almost two weeks on the run from law enforcement in Pennsylvania, following his dramatic capture by a police dog called Yoda.

US Marshall Robert Clark told ABC News that the convicted killer had been very candid after he was captured on Wednesday morning. He told investigators how he evaded capture and survived in the woods by eating watermelon.

“He stated he intended to carjack somebody in the next 24 hours and that he was going to head north to Canada,” Mr Clark said. “He said on multiple occasions law enforcement officers almost stepped on him, [that] we were only five or six feet away.”

Pennsylvania officials said that tactical teams closed in on Cavalcante on Wednesday morning and the inmate began to crawl through heavy underbrush to get away. At that point, Yoda, a four-year-old Belgium Malinois, set out to subdue the escapee, leaving him with a face bloodied from a bite.

Cavalcante had escaped from Chester County Prison on 31 August – days after he was sentenced to life for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao. He is also wanted for a 2017 murder in Brazil.

Key Points

• Danelo Cavalcante finally captured after two-week manhunt
• Captured killer reveals new details about his time on the run
• Cavalcante suffered dog bite as K-9 Yoda stopped him from last attempt to escape
• Danelo Cavalcante pictured in new mug shot
• Moment police pose for group photo with escaped killer Danelo Cavalcante
• Danelo Cavalcante back behind bars at SCI Phoenix

[15 September 2023 14:00 · Andrea Blanco]

Prison escape charges and a Brazil trial: What comes next for Danelo Cavalcante?

Danelo Cavalcante is finally back behind bars after he was arrested more than forty miles from the northwestern Pennsylvania prison he escaped late last month.

The multi-agency manhunt for 34-year-old Cavalcante made national headlines as it spanned for nearly two weeks. Officials were forced to repeatedly expand their search perimeter after the murder convict sneaked past it time and time again.

Throughout the 14-day ordeal, Cavalcante managed to survive by eating watermelons he stole from a farm. He also stole a van and a .22 rifle and has since confessed he planned to carry out a carjack and then flee to Canada.

Just hours after his arrest, Cavalcante was hit with new charges stemming from his jailbreak. He is already serving life in prison for the April 2021 brutal murder of his former ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao, 33.

Now, Brazilian prosecutors are also preparing to pursue a trial against Cavalcante in connection with a 2017 murder that the murder convict is accused of.

Here’s what comes next for Cavalcante: