CHESTER COUNTY (KYW Newsradio) — The escaped murderer who eluded authorities for two weeks in Chester County told officials, after he was captured, that he was planning what could have been a violent escape from the search perimeter.
After he was captured Wednesday morning, convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante was sent to the State Police barracks in Avondale to be screened and interviewed before moving on to state prison.
“We asked him what his endgame was, and he ultimately said that he intended to carjack somebody and go north to Canada or get out of the United States and head towards Puerto Rico,” said Rob Clark with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Cavalcante was imprisoned after a jury convicted him of killing his ex-girlfriend. And he told officials he knew he had to pay for what he’d done, but he wasn't willing to pay with his life.
“He was going to have that firearm on and he was going to try to get out of the area because law enforcement was just all over inside that perimeter,” Clark said.
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Cavalcante told them he was planning for that carjacking within 24 hours of the moment he was caught, Clark said.
Cavalcante told officials he didn’t move much while he was on the run, especially in the first few days, Clark said. And he said law enforcement officers came within 10 yards of him three times while he was hiding near Longwood Gardens.
Clark said Cavalcante told them he didn’t eat much in those early days, either.
“The first time that he ate was when he found a watermelon on a farm. He actually cracked it open with his head, he said, and then he drank stream water,” Clark said.
“He said that he actually thought of giving up because the law enforcement presence was so tough out there. He said the environment wasn't so much a factor. It was the presence of law enforcement officers.”
Clark says they find Cavalcante’s post-capture statements credible. They have no reason to think Cavalcante was lying and he confirmed much of what they suspected.
Correction: A previous version of this article spelled Cavalcante's first name based on official law enforcement and court documents, which have been different from what's on customs documents.