Danelo Cavalcante’s former roommate speaks out amid manhunt for escaped killer
GLENMOORE, Pa. - Escaped convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante has been on the run almost two weeks. His former roommate spoke out about the escapee, saying Cavalcante might be seeking support from acquaintances, but won't get any help.
Early Sunday morning, police released new images of escaped killer Danelo Cavalcante, saying he changed his appearance, now clean-shaven and wearing a yellow or green hooded sweatshirt, black baseball cap, green prison pants and white shoes.
Police moved their search for the convicted killer over 20 miles away from the Longwood Gardens area to Phoenixville.
Police say Cavalcante went to a former work associate’s home around 9:52 Saturday night, talking through a ring doorbell camera where new Images were captured.
The homeowner wasn’t home and when they reviewed their footage around midnight they called police to let them know.
Police then focused their search on the area of Fairview and Wynn Hollow roads in East Nantmeal Township.
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It was in that area Cavalcante’s former roommate shared his thoughts on the convicted killer. Franco Rosa lived with Cavalcante four months and says he moved out a few days before he killed his ex-girlfriend.
"Did he seem like an evil person when you knew him?" Kadhim asked.
"No, not at all," former roommate Franco Rosa replied. "He was a really quiet guy and a shy guy. He wouldn’t start a conversation, but if you start a conversation with him, he would talk normal. He would sit down sometimes and have a beer or two. On the weekends, sometimes, we would make barbeque and he would always be like, doing the barbeque. I was telling the cops, too, we had a little argument a few days before he killed his ex, because I found out that he was moving out without telling me. Cause I was asking, ‘Hey if you want to move out someday, let me know, like a month in advance, so I can find another roommate. And, I found out that he was moving out on a Wednesday the week when he killed his ex. And we had a little argument in the kitchen and he had a big knife with him. He was cutting steak. I was just mad at him, you know, cause he was moving out without telling me. Then he was like, ‘I’m sorry, my sister’s boyfriend lost his job, he’s not making money, I’ve got to help her.’ And, then next day, I found out he’s not really moving in with her, he was moving in with another guy."
Kadhim asked if anyone who knows Cavalcante has said he's tried to reach out.
"No, what I heard, he went to a friend’s house last night. I’m not sure if that’s true or not. I don’t know if he went to get money or something, but that’s what I’m telling the cops, he’s probably just trying to leave the country cause his life is done here," Rosa answered.
Rosa says he assisted police with the murder investigation and is offering any help he can now. "I don’t want him free anymore. It’s not just me. If I’m nervous, can you imagine the ex-girlfriend’s sister who’s taking care of the two kids? They are super scared. My cousin has kids in school in Phoenixville. They are scared, too."
Cavalcante’s sister was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is possibly facing deportation. Officials believe Cavalcante has been seeking help from people he knows in the region.
"Yes, he is absolutely looking for support. He needs that support and he doesn’t have it," Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said.
Danelo Souza Cavalcante, 34, escaped from the Chester County Prison while awaiting transfer to state prison on Aug. 31 after being sentenced to life for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in 2021. Prosecutors say he wanted to stop her from telling police that he’s wanted in a killing in his home country of Brazil.
Authorities, who have described Cavalcante as extremely dangerous, didn’t release details about the sightings but said they occurred Friday within the search area focused around the now-closed Longwood Gardens botanical garden in East Marlborough Township, where the fugitive inmate has been spotted several times.
Officials on Friday announced the firing of the prison tower guard on duty when Cavalcante scaled a wall by crab-walking up from the recreation yard, climbed over razor wire, ran across a roof and jumped to the ground. His escape went undetected for more than an hour until guards took a headcount.
The guard, a corrections officer for 18 years who was put on administrative leave after the escape, also had his personal cellphone on him at the time, a violation of jail protocol, county spokesperson Michelle Bjork said.
There’s now a $20,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Cavalcante, whose escape has attracted international attention and became big news in Brazil. The main newspaper in Rio de Janeiro ran a lengthy story Wednesday with the headline "Dangerous hide-and-seek."