Who is Iracema Cavalcante? Danelo Cavalcante's mother speaks out in defense of fugitive son now armed with a rifle

Iracema Cavalcante, the mother of escaped Pennsylvania inmate Danelo Cavalcante, spoke out on behalf of her son's defense, saying that everyone was lying about him. In an exclusive interview with The New York Times from Brazil, Iracema Cavalcante insisted that her son does not pose a threat to society despite conceding he did murder his girlfriend in 2021.

Danelo Cavalcante, the Pennsylvania prison escapee, has been on the lam for nearly two weeks, prompting schools and local businesses in the area to shut down. Concerns mounted as Cavalcante was spotted multiple times, roaming wooded areas and small suburban towns.

On Tuesday, September 12, authorities warned that the fugitive was now armed with a rifle after he entered an open garage to steal the weapon and came under fire from a homeowner. However, Cavalcante managed to escape with the stolen gun.

As the Danelo Cavalcante roamed free, rattling the town concerned for their safety, his mother believed her 34-year-old, even if armed, “did not pose a threat to anyone.”

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Danelo Cavalcante's mother Iracema Cavalcante claims her son murdered his girlfriend as he felt cornered

Deborah Brandao (Image via The Trumpertarian/X)

Danelo Cavalcante, convicted on August 16, 2023, for life in prison over the 2021 brutal murder of his girlfriend, Deborah Brandao, escaped Chester County Prison on August 31, 2023. The escaped inmate was accused of stabbing his girlfriend multiple times in front of her children. Prosecutors contend that he murdered his girlfriend after she learned he was wanted for a 2017 killing in Brazil and threatened to go to the authorities.

However, Danelo Cavalcante's mother, Iracema Cavalcante, in her first interview since her son escaped from prison, vehemently denied the allegations against him. She told the Times, that everyone was lying about her son while admitting that he did murder his girlfriend. However, the mother says that her son had no choice but to kill as he felt “cornered.”

“Did it happen? It happened,” Iracema Cavalcante told the Times. “But it happened because of the stranglehold she put on him, the stance she took with him ... It wasn’t femicide. He had to, he had no other choice.”

Iracema defended her son's actions, arguing that he was a product of his impoverished upbringing before noting he couldn’t help his compulsions as he was hardened by life in Brazil.

Iracema told the Times that her son, who started working at the age of 5, never went to school but sold vegetables in the market until he began working in the fields at the age of 7.

“We’re poor. We’re humble. But we’re workers. What we have, we fought to get.”

On the heels of Cavalcante’s escape, District Attorney Deb Ryan had expressed his concern, that he was exceedingly adept at hiding from law enforcement and would go to great lengths to evade capture. In a press conference, authorities echoed the statement and added that his hardened upbringing had most likely made it difficult to capture the fugitive.

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Iracema Cavalcante says her son Danelo Cavalcante does not deserve life in prison

Despite maintaining her son was not a malicious criminal portrayed by law enforcement, Iracema Cavalcante acknowledged that her son was wrong for killing a person and should face the consequences of his crimes.

However, she argued that life in prison or death by the police was not the punishment her son deserved.

“If I said my son didn’t make a mistake, I’d be lying,” she said. “I know what my son did was wrong. I know my son should pay for his mistake. But I want my son to pay for his mistake with dignity. Not to pay with his life.”

Iracema added that her son is better off dead than spending the rest of his life behind bars. Ircaeme said that she would not ask her son to turn himself in but would ask God to forgive him for his mistakes.

In a post on Twitter on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania State Police wrote that they were "pursuing" Danelo Cavalcante, in South Coventry Township, a rural area in northern Chester County.