Danelo Cavalcante

committed. Afterward, he would be charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and aggravated assault for the slaying of Deborah Brandão. Chester County District Attorney Deborah Ryan made a statement regarding the murder, promising justice for the victim and her family, stating that “the pain these children and all of Deborah’s loved ones are enduring as a result of this depravity is horrific. We will ensure that the defendant is brought to justice for this cold-blooded, premeditated, and despicable act.” The Trial District Judge James Kovaleski of Phoenixville arraigned Cavalcante on his charges, subsequently denying his bail and confining him to Pocopson Township’s Chester County Prison for the remainder of the trial. Afterward, Judge Kovaleski would set the preliminary hearing for the case on September 20, 2021. Cavalcante’s trial began in 2022, a year after Brandão’s bloody death. Overseen by Common Pleas Judge Patrick Carmody, the trial continued into 2023. The prosecution, headed by the aforementioned Chester County District Attorney Deborah Ryan, would request to present Cavalcante’s prior homicide charges to the jury. The district attorney argued that these charges issued from Brazil tied into the overarching motive for the case. Judge Carmody would grant this request, thus forming the central theme of the prosecution’s case against Cavalcante. The prosecution made the claim that Cavalcante’s main reason for killing Brandão was so that he could silence her. Brandão had already threatened to tell police about his murder warrant in Brazil. The prosecution alleged that Cavalcante could not let that happen. District Attorney Ryan argued that Cavalcante had planned this murder, needing to make sure that Brandão would not expose him to authorities. The prosecution’s Assistant District Attorney, Zachary Yurick, explained to the jury that “[Cavalcante’s] goal was to kill

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Cavalcante’s Arrest and Conviction