Danelo Cavalcante

Deborah. He wanted her silenced. He got his way.” (Rellahan 2023b) Meanwhile, Cavalcante, represented by Assistant Public Defenders Sameer Barkawi and Nellie Verduci, argued differently. The defense confessed to Cavalcante’s culpability in the crime, with Verduci stating, “This isn’t a whodunit. Danelo did kill Deborah, and he did it with a knife.” (Rellahan 2023b) However, they disagreed with the prosecution’s notion that Cavalcante’s motive was to silence Brandão. Instead, the defense argued that Cavalcante’s murder of Brandão was an act of passion rather than a deliberate attack on her life. The defense attorneys asserted that Cavalcante had only brought the knife with him to coerce Brandão. According to Barkawi, in past

On August 17, 2023, a jury convicted Cavalcante of first-degree murder for Brandão’s killing. In Pennsylvania this carries a mandatory life sentence without parole.

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Cavalcante’s Arrest and Conviction