Danilo Cavalcante's PA Court Appearance Delayed By Months

SOUTHEASTERN PA — Weeks after his escape and ultimate capture in the woods of northern Chester County, convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante has had his preliminary hearing delayed by months.

Cavalcante's first court appearance since his capture had been scheduled for Sept. 29. His attorneys have asked for a delay and that appearance will now be held on Friday, Nov. 17 at noon at district court in Kennett Square.

It's not clear exactly why the delay was requested.

And while judicial jiu jitsu and concordant delays are commonplace across the commonwealth, Cavalcante is one of the highest profile cases in a generation, and otherwise typical procedurals will receive atypical attention.

Specifically, the rescheduled preliminary hearing is to deal with new charges being brought against Cavalcante as a result of his escape from Chester County Prison.

Meanwhile, Cavalcante is being held at SCI Phoenix in Eagleville in a maximum security wing, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections said. Authorities described his holding area as a "specialized observation unit."

While details of what Cavalcante's day to day look like are unclear, what's sure is that he'll have less freedom than he did as an inmate in Chester County's system. Inmates in specialized observation units are under the close watch of prison officials around the clock.

Authorities had previously spelled Cavalcante's first name Danelo, but changed it to Danilo is court filings after he was captured last month.