Danilo Cavalcante, a convicted killer who escaped from a Chester County lockup in southeastern Pennsylvania and was captured after two weeks on the run, pleaded guilty to escape and burglary charges. He was sentenced to serve an additional 15 to 30 years in prison on top of his life sentence without parole for killing his ex-girlfriend. Cavalcante escaped by climbing up between two walls in a jail exercise yard, climbing over razor wire, and jumping from a roof. While on the run, he stole a truck from a dairy farm and survived by stealing food and other items from people’s homes. He was eventually found in a homeowner’s open garage stealing a rifle, but managed to evade capture by firing shots at him. He was eventually captured by searchers using thermal imaging from a plane and K-9 search dogs on the ground.
Cavalcante, a native of Brazil, told the judge that his education had stopped in fourth grade. The judge advised him to try to make something of his life, even in prison, and to potentially become a mentor to someone for a good purpose. His defense lawyer stated that Cavalcante quickly agreed to plead guilty to the charges. His guilty plea came just before the one-year anniversary of his escape, which caused fear among residents in the Philadelphia region.
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