Escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante’s plan was to drive to Canada in a stolen car before he was captured by ‘hero’ dog Yoda, US Marshals reveal – as sister of woman he murdered thanks cops for nabbing him

Escaped convict Danelo Cavalcante planned to drive to Canada in a stolen car before he was captured by a hero K-9 named Yoda after two weeks on the run, a US Marshall has revealed.

Cavalcante, 34, survived two weeks on the run by eating watermelon he stole from a farm, drinking water from a stream and burying his feces so police wouldn’t find it, according to Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark, who led the investigation. manhunt.

The Brazil resident, who was in the country illegally, escaped from the Chester County Jail, 30 miles west of Philadelphia, by crab-walking up a wall just days after being sentenced to life in prison for the murder on 33-year-old Deborah Brandão. in 2021.

His victim’s sister, Saraha Brandao, thanked police for their work on Wednesday and said the family is “very grateful for the support and hard work over the past few days.”

She added, “Right now, my family and I need to regroup and focus on processing everything that has happened while taking care of ourselves.

He was captured after two weeks on the run by a hero K-9 named Yoda

Cavalcante, 34, survived two weeks on the run by eating watermelon he stole from a farm, drinking water from a stream and burying his feces so police wouldn’t find it

‘The past two weeks have been extremely painful and terrifying as it brought back all the feelings of losing my sister and the thought of the perpetrator hurting us again.’

Clark told NewsNation that Cavalcante agreed to speak through an interpreter after his arrest and was “brutally honest” about his time on the run.

“He said he planned to carjack someone in the community and go north to Canada or try to get back to Puerto Rico,” Clark said. “He said he was going to do that within the next 24 hours and that was the reason he kept that firearm. He knew he needed a gun to get a vehicle.”

Cavalcante said he didn’t get far from the Chester County Prison during his first three days on the run, and was almost “kicked” several times by police, who came seven to eight yards away from him.

About 25 officers were able to surprise him when they surrounded him Wednesday morning, but Cavalcante, wearing a Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt, tried to escape again by crawling through the brush with the gun he stole from a house he broke into Monday.

Police updated the search perimeter after Cavalcante was spotted outside the original search area this weekend

Officials then released a police dog to catch the killer. The dog bit him on the head and he was treated for his injuries at the scene, police said. After a bloodied Cavalcante was captured, the search team’s SWAT officers paraded him as a trophy and lined up for a photo with him around 8 a.m. EST.

After the arrest, he was taken to a nearby state police barracks in an armored vehicle, surrounded by a convoy of dozens of vehicles with lights flashing and sirens blaring as it drove down the highway. Two police helicopters followed above.

Cavalcante was charged with escape at the Avondale barracks, according to Judge Matthew Seavey’s office. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for September 27.

He was booked into the maximum-security SCI Phoenix prison in Montgomery County to serve the life sentence he received last month for the murder of his ex-girlfriend.

More charges are expected Thursday related to crimes Cavalcante committed while on the run.