2023-09-07 11:14:06
A murderer climbed a wall so as not to be seen by the guards.
A convicted murderer who escaped from the Chester County jail seven days ago did so by climbing the walls of the prison yard, jumping through barbed wire and running through the roof of the facility, authorities said Wednesday, adding that a similar escape method was used by another inmate to escape from prison earlier this year.
An officer at the watchtower overlooking the exercise yard, where the leak occurred, “did not observe or report the leak” and is a “key part” of an ongoing internal investigation, the acting warden said. Chester County Jail Howard Holland during a press conference.
Meanwhile, the center will increase its security measures by fencing off its courtyards and adding more barbed wire “to block access to the roof,” Holland said. There will also be more video cameras and an agent will be posted in the courtyard. Before the escape, there was no official in the yard with the inmates.
Danelo Cavalcante, 34, began his escape at 8:33 a.m. on Thursday, when he and other inmates entered the courtyard. By 8:51 a.m., Cavalcante had climbed over a wall, through a wire fence, and ran across the roof. He then scaled another fence and through more barbed wire, according to Holland.
At 9:45 a.m., officials realized one inmate was missing, so the prison began a special count that confirmed Cavalcante’s disappearance.
Cavalcante starts his escape from the patio
Cavalcante’s escape followed that of Igor Bolte, who authorities say escaped from Chester County Jail in a similar fashion in May. A prison guard saw Bolte’s escape attempt and alerted other officials, who apprehended the inmate almost immediately, authorities said Wednesday. Authorities said the center added barbed wire following Bolte’s escape.
“We will carefully review all of our practices and policies and make improvements as needed,” Holland stated.
Authorities continued the intensive search Wednesday followingnoon, nearly a week following the brazen escape. “Our main objective is to stop this man. We are putting all our efforts into trying to locate him,” Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said.
Some 250 troops are searching an area in Pocopson Township, regarding 50 kilometers west of Philadelphia. Multiple credible sightings of Cavalcante, including a sighting Monday on a trail camera, and another sighting Tuesday night, have prompted authorities to widen the search perimeter.
Surveillance camera photos of Cavalcante showed him to be south of the search perimeter established by authorities last week. This prompted two school districts – the Kennett Consolidated School District and the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District – to cancel classes Tuesday and Wednesday because both have schools within the new search zone.
Cavalcante, captured by security cameras following the escape
Authorities waited a week to say how Cavalcante escaped from prison, citing an ongoing investigation. Authorities said they have an idea of his final destination, but declined to expand beyond that he was “heading south” within their search perimeter, according to Lt. Col. George Bivens of the State Police. Pennsylvania.
Cavalcante went on the run a week following being sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing his 33-year-old ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao. He stabbed Brandao nearly 40 times in front of her two children, ages 4 and 7, in August 2021 before fleeing the scene, according to the district attorney’s office. Authorities found him in Virginia.
Prosecutors said Cavalcante, who had a history of domestic violence, stabbed Brandao to death following she learned he had an open warrant for his arrest in a 2017 murder in Brazil, which is where Cavalcante was born. Detectives determined that Cavalcante killed her following she threatened to expose him to police, according to prosecutors.
Authorities described Cavalcante as 5’2″ tall and 120 pounds, with long curly black hair and brown eyes. They increased the reward Wednesday to $20,000, up from $10,000 previously, for anyone with information leading to Cavalcante’s arrest, authorities said.
© The Washington Post 2023
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