Danelo Cavalcante

apprehend him. Instead, he was able to use a fake name and fly safely from his home country of Brazil to Puerto Rico. While in Puerto Rico, Cavalcante obtained a fake ID. He remained in the country for several months before traveling to the United States under this phony documentation. US Marshals concluded that he had come into the US illegally, arriving in New York on a boat sailing from Puerto Rico. From New York, Cavalcante traveled south, eventually settling in Schuylkill Township, located in Chester County, Pennsylvania. His sister, Eleni Cavalcante, and some friends lived around the area, making it the perfect place for Cavalcante to begin his new life far away from the Brazilian justice system. He picked up jobs in various trades in Chester County, notably working for a construction company. He rented a storage trailer that he parked at a lot in Chester County’s East Pikeland Township. There, Cavalcante would meet his next victim: thirty-three-year-old Deborah Brandão. JUSTICE FOR MOREIRA As of 2024, Cavalcante has faced no punishment for the murder of Valter Júnior Moreira dos Reis. For almost seven years, Moreira’s family has seen no answers for the atrocity committed against the young man. The family have been open about their dissatisfaction with the case’s handling, with his mother and sister lamenting the slow process of Brazil’s judiciary. However, there have been some recent breakthroughs in his case. Cavalcante’s 2023 prison break has prompted Brazilian prosecutors to revisit Moreira’s murder, with Brazilian authorities claiming that they have begun negotiations with the US Embassy to move forward with criminal charges against Cavalcante.

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The Murder of Valter Júnior Moreira dos Reis