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Consequences for prison guard who missed convicted murderer’s escape: ‘He was an 18-year veteran of the prison’

September 9, 2023 | | Print Article

The Pennsylvania prison guard who failed to notice convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante scaling the Chester County Prison wall on August 31 is out of a job.

The unnamed prison guard, who served at the facility for nearly two decades as a correction officer (CO), was fired on Thursday, Chester County spokesperson Michelle Bjork told Fox News Digital.

The CO was posted in the prison’s watchtower when Cavalcante pulled a sinister Spider-Man move and crab-walked his way out of the exercise yard, shimmied through razor-wire, dashed across the roof, scaled a second wall, and pushed through still more razor-wire to free himself.

“We can confirm that the corrections officer on duty when Danelo Cavalcante escaped was terminated yesterday afternoon,” Bjork said. “He was an 18-year veteran of the prison.”

As BizPac Review reported, it took the better part of an hour for anyone at the prison to notice the murderer was missing. When the staff did realize he was gone, they took ten minutes to activate the escape siren, giving Cavalcante a commanding head start.

Cavalcante, 34, was convicted last month of fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in front of her children in 2021. According to the Associated Press, prosecutors argued that he murdered her to prevent her from telling police that he was wanted in connection to a killing in Brazil, his home country. He had been sentenced to life in prison for the death of his ex-girlfriend and was awaiting transfer to state prison when he made his bold break out of the county prison.

Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said during a Friday press conference that Cavalcante was spotted for the second time on a trail camera at the Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square.

On Friday, he was seen again “just north of Longwood Gardens on E. Street Rd and Conservatory Rd.,” Fox News Digital reports.

“I believe he becomes more desperate,” Bivens said. “I believe he has always been very dangerous and I’ve said that from the start. He’s already murdered two people — one in Brazil and one here in a very brutal manner. He’s a very dangerous individual and he remains so.”


(Video: YouTube)

According to the AP, Longwood Gardens is a nearly 200-acre botanical garden that features winding paths, ponds, fountains, meadows, and an outdoor theater. Indoor gardens, treehouses, and a restaurant provide plenty of places for a fugitive to hide.

Like something out of a Halloween horror movie, the AP reports, “People who remained there overnight Thursday were told to shelter in place as officers searched part of the garden.”

(Video: YouTube)

Additional sightings of Cavalcante occurred on Monday night when a surveillance camera caught him walking through on the Longwood grounds. On Thursday, a person reported seeing the murderer in another area of the gardens. Hours later, another possible sighting was reported, state police said.

A red banner across the top of the Longwood Gardens website reads, “As the search for the escaped prisoner from Chester County Prison continues, our Gardens are closed until further notice.”

“Cavalcante has eluded hundreds of law enforcement personnel, including tracking dogs, tactical teams in full combat gear, and police on horseback and in helicopters southwest of Philadelphia,” the outlet states.

As of Friday, roughly 400 personnel were searching for him, Bivens told reporters.

A $20,000 reward is now being offered for information that leads to Cavalcante’s capture.

Melissa Fine
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