KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The escaped murderer who led authorities on a frantic two-week manhunt last year has been ordered to stand trial in Chester County on a list of charges related to his time on the run.
Judge Matthew Seavey held charges against 34-year-old Danilo Cavalcante at his preliminary hearing Friday morning.
In addition to felony escape, he is also charged with multiple counts of theft, trespassing and burglary, and one count of illegal possession of a firearm.
Cavalcante made international headlines and had residents across Chester County on edge after he escaped from Chester County Prison on Aug. 31, just days after he was sentenced to life in prison for the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao.
Surveillance footage showed Cavalcante crab-walk up a wall, push through razor wire, run across a roof, and then jump over a fence.
Authorities added the additional charges in November, accusing Cavalcante of entering a home about a mile from the prison the night after he escaped and stealing a backpack, a knife, a sleeping bag, a shirt, and a Gillette razor.
He is also charged with stealing a van from a dairy company near the jail and driving it to North Coventry Township. There, authorities said he entered another residence and stole a loaded .22 rifle from a garage.
He was captured on Sept. 13. Federal authorities said after his capture, he told them he was planning to use that rifle to steal a car and drive to Canada.
He is currently serving his life sentence at SCI Phoenix in Montgomery County.
Cavalcante walked into the courtroom Friday flanked by three correctional officers. He spoke with his translator at times, but other than that, he stayed relatively quiet.
Deputy Attorney General Christopher Phillips, who is prosecuting the case, entered surveillance video and police photos into evidence. He also called on witnesses to describe encounters with Cavalcante during his two weeks on the run.
The court heard from witnesses like Horace Hammond, of South Coventry Township. He said he fired four shots at Cavalcante on Sept. 11 after he broke into his garage and stole a .22 rifle. Hammond remembered shouting, “Don’t do it, don’t do it,” at Cavalcante as he ran away. He fired at the escapee but did not hit him.
Ryan Drummond, a resident of Pennsbury Township, testified that he called 911 after seeing a stranger in his home. He said he eventually was told by police that Cavalcante had been hiding in his basement and later stole a razor, a shirt and his daughter’s sleeping bag.
The court also heard from correctional officers working on the day he escaped and witnesses who said they had run-ins with Cavalcante during the two-week manhunt.
At the end of the hearing, the district judge ordered all 20 charges be bound over to county court for trial. The judge said a trial date will be announced at a later time. The trial will take place in West Chester.
He is being held without bail.