Murderer Cavalcante's Chesco Prison Escape Hearing Set For Friday

KENNETT SQUARE, PA — Convicted killer Danilo Cavalcante who was on the run for two weeks before his Sept. 13 capture is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Friday in Kennett Square.

The hearing before District Judge Matthew Seavey is for Calvalcante’s arrest for escaping from Chester County Prison while awaiting transfer to state prison. He was recaptured on Sept. 13 in northern Chester County.

Calvalcante avoided hundreds of law enforcement officers by hiding in wooded areas throughout Chester County, including Longwood Gardens, a tourist attraction in southern Chester County.

Prison security upgrades ongoing

Following the escape, Chester County officials began upgrading security at the Pocopson Township prison.

Commissioner Josh Maxwell, president of the county prison board, said at a meeting Tuesday the board has realized a lot of work needs to be done at the prison.

The commissioner said under the current system prisoners are scheduled twice a month to be taken from the county jail to a state prison. The plan is to speed up the process.

At a meeting last week, the board approved security upgrades at the Pocopson Township jail, including purchasing more cameras and hiring correctional officers to monitor the cameras.

An officer who was monitoring the prison tower when Cavalcante escaped was fired.

In addition, the board has hired a contractor to prepare a preliminary design plan for building upgrades.

Cavalcante was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on Aug. 16 for the April 2021 fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao, 33, in Schuylkill Township.
Cavalcante was also wanted in Brazil for a 2017 killing.

Cavalcante is in the State Correctional Institute at Phoenix. a maximum security prison in Skippack Township, Montgomery County.