Sister of woman murdered by ‘dangerous’ fugitive says she hasn’t slept since he went on run

‘I haven’t slept for many days’

The sister of Danelo Cavalcante’s victim has revealed that her life has been tarnished with overwhelming fear since the convict’s escape from prison last week.

Sarah Brandao, sister of the victim Deborah Brandao said in an interview that since Cavalcante’s jailbreak last week, “I have been waking up with fright at night”.

Deborah Brandao was stabbed 38 times by her ex-boyfriend Danelo Cavalcante with a kitchen knife in Schuylkill Township Chester in County, Pennsylvania, back in April 2021.

Sarah Brandao told CNN: “I haven’t slept for many days.” She also recounted the day she was told about her sister’s murder. She said her “world ended”.

“She kept saying that he was extremely jealous, that when he drank he became a different person, that he kept going through her cell phone,” Sarah Brandao said.

Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said during a press conference on Thursday that Ms Brandao and her family are being protected by police.

“They do have protection and they are terrified. They haven’t left their home, they’re barricaded inside their home and they are very scared,” Ms Ryan said. “We do have police detail surrounding the home but I know they are very scared and very, very worried.”

Prosecutors said Cavalcante killed Brandao to stop her from telling police about an active arrest warrant he was facing for another alleged murder in his home country of Brazil in 2017.

Just days into beginning his life sentence for Brandao’s killing, Cavalcante broke free from the Chester State Prison on the morning of 31 August.

The manhunt for convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante has now entered its seventh day with details beginning to emerge about how he managed to escape from prison in Pennsylvania.

He managed to break out of prison using an unconventional method, according to officials, which involved “crab-walking” up a wall, pushing through razor wire and making a dash across a roof.

Acting warden Howard Holland of Chester County Prison said during a news conference on Wednesday that the 34-year-old executed his escape on the morning of 31 August while his prison block was in the exercise yard, and an officer in a tower failed to notice his departure.

The Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers have offered $10,000 for information that leads to Cavalcante’s capture, bringing the reward total to $20,000.

Law enforcement teams, including the US Marshals, SWAT, local, state, and other federal agencies, have joined the search to find the fugitive.