Action News lays out killer's trail in Brazil after digging into Danelo Cavalcante's past
Cavalcante is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison in the U.S.
BRAZIL (WPVI) -- All this week, Action News' Walter Perez has been in Brazil, the home country of convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante.
Cavalcante, 34, has gained infamy in the Delaware Valley for killing his ex-girlfriend, escaping a Chester County, Pa. prison, and leading authorities on a nerve-wracking two-week manhunt.
But after his recapture, Action News was determined to learn more about the origins of this killer.
The plan was risky. Action News traveled to a South American county, where the native language is Portuguese, and then tried to track down people linked to Cavalcante.
The team traveled 4,000 miles from Philadelphia to Sáo Paulo, and then hundreds of miles more on the ground to piece together the killer's trail.
The area is rural and located in a poor section of Brazil. But with help from an incredible community, Action News accomplished its goal.
Izabela Martins, a local journalist in the city of Palmas, served as an interpreter, guide, and field producer for the Action News team.
She and a driver, Bruno Sforsin, took the team through an impoverished region, where they quickly realized that Cavalcante is not so infamous worldwide.
"I know he escaped from prison, but they caught him. I think he killed someone," said Edison Batista Dos Santos from Palmas, Brazil.
"Yes, I've seen a little bit. I don't remember his name, but he escaped from jail in America. I think they found him," added Aelton Alves Pereira.
Still, there are many who care deeply about this case, including Eva Periera Lima.
She is the grandmother of 20-year-old Valter Moriera Dos Reis, whom Cavalcante is accused of killing in Brazil back in 2017.
READ | Family, friends of man allegedly killed by Danelo Cavalcante in Brazil demand justice
She says knowing that Cavalcante is behind bars for life in the U.S. brings her no joy.
"No, I do not feel like there has been any justice in any of this. Only when 'the bad thing' doesn't exist anymore, then I will feel peace," said Lima.
There is also a regional prosecutor who is preparing to try Cavalcante, despite his absence in the country, for the murder of Dos Reis.
Raphael Alamy says what haunts him about this case is that a paperwork issue is what led to Cavalcante being able to flee Brazil, even with a warrant out for his arrest.
"They did not put the warrant in the national system of Brazil. So, only the local police were aware. The federal police were not alerted, and that opened the door for Cavalcante to escape. That's the part that hurts me," said Alamy.
After Cavalcante slipped past authorities in Brazil, he found his way to Pennsylvania, where he would later murder his ex-girlfriend.
Cavalcante is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison in the U.S.
Brazil has no death penalty or life sentences.
So, officials say the worst he would have gotten is 40 years for the murder of Dos Reis, and he likely would have been released in 15 years for good behavior.
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