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Escaped killer Danelo Cavalcante planned to go to Canada, says searchers almost stepped on him multiple times
Before tactical teams captured Danelo Cavalcante in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, the convicted killer whose prison escape launched a two-week manhunt had planned to carjack someone and flee the country, authorities said. Robert Clark, a supervisory deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service, told CBS News Philadelphia that Cavalcante intended to travel to Canada, citing Cavalcante’s comments to law enforcement after he was taken back into custody.
Cavalcante also told officers in the wake of his arrest that crews almost stepped on him multiple times as he buried himself beneath leaves and brush while they searched for him. For sustenance, he stole watermelon and drank stream water, Clark told CBS News Philadelphia.
Cavalcante had a razor blade in his backpack when he was captured this week, Clark said. He apparently used the blade to shave his beard and mustache after escaping from the Chester County Prison in West Chester, about an hour’s drive from Philadelphia, on the morning of Aug. 31.
Cavalcante, a 34-year-old Brazilian national who authorities said speaks Portuguese and Spanish and some English, spoke to authorities through a Portuguese interpreter, according to CBS Philadelphia.
Originally, law enforcement focused their search for Cavalcante within a designated perimeter around Longwood Gardens, in Chester County where they believed Cavalcante was hiding. Lt. Col. George Bivens of the state police force said at news briefings during the manhunt’s earlier phase that Longwood Gardens presented a series of challenges for authorities because the area is heavily wooded and on top of a complicated network of underground tunnels, some of which ran under construction sites and could not be properly secured.
By Saturday, Cavalcante had escaped the perimeter around Longwood Gardens and was seen in doorbell surveillance footage outside the home of a former work associate, one of two past colleagues with whom he attempted to contact that night, according to police. Authorities said he was seen driving a stolen white van with a refrigeration unit attached to the roof, which came from the Longwood Gardens area.
Cavalcante told law enforcement he performed his own surveillance of the first perimeter at Longwood Gardens so that he knew where to go when he eventually escaped, adding that he left the area when search teams were moving in closer to him, Clark said in his comments to CBS Philadelphia. Cavalcante also did surveillance of the home in Chester County where on Monday night he stole a .22-caliber rifle and ran off, evading shots fired in his direction by the homeowner.
Just weeks before his escape from Chester County Prison, Cavalcante was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the killing of his former girlfriend, Deborah Brandao, in 2021. He is currently being held at SCI Phoenix, a maximum security prison in Pennsylvania, to serve the sentence.
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“Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo on building trust with Ariana Grande to bring Elphaba and Glinda to life
Cynthia Erivo is earning widespread acclaim for her portrayal of Elphaba in the highly anticipated film adaptation of “Wicked.” The movie has already set records, grossing $262 million domestically and becoming one of the most successful Broadway adaptations.
In an interview on “CBS Mornings,“ Erivo opened up about how her friendship with singer and co-star Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, became such an important part of their on-screen chemistry. She revealed that despite how close they are now, they didn’t know each other before filming.
“She came to my house, we sat, we chatted and talked,” Erivo said. “And we just talked about everything and nothing. We were there for ages, and it was very, very easy, so part of us kind of knew, ‘Oh, this might, this might work. We’ll be okay, and I think we’ll be able to get along with each other, and we’ll find it.'”
Their connection deepened during a dinner hosted by director Jon M. Chu.
“Stephen Schwartz played piano, and we sang ‘For Good’ together for the first time,” Erivo recalled. “Our voices are very different but somehow, they made sense together.”
To ensure their collaboration stayed strong, Erivo and Grande made a pact early and promised to take care of each other, the Tony Award winner said.
“Before we started shooting both of us had a conversation about making sure that we would take care of each other and make the space that we needed for each other, and take, you know, give each other what we needed, be generous with each other in this thing, because we knew it was a big undertaking,” she said. “We knew we had a big responsibility, but we knew neither of us could really do that alone.”
On fans singing along to the movie in theaters, Erivo was enthusiastic.
“I’m not ever going to be the person that says, ‘Don’t sing.’ I think there’s something really beautiful about people feeling comfortable enough to sing along,” she said.
On Christmas Day, a sing-a-long version of Wicked will be released in theaters, according to Erivo.
The actress said that playing Elphaba – who goes on to become the Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz” – required her to embrace her vulnerability.
“It means people can see the human being behind the character a little bit more,” she shared. “That meant I had to allow myself to do that a little bit, which was terrifying, but I knew it would be meaningful. That was really the only way to play this role.”
As Erivo reflected on her journey with “Wicked”, she said she remains proud of the bravery it took to bring authenticity to Elphaba.
“You have to put yourself on the line a little bit… This is scary, but it’s the only way to play her is to reveal a bit more of me,” she said.
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Elton John says he lost his eyesight following severe eye infection
Pop icon Elton John said on Sunday that he struggled to see his new musical, “The Devil Wears Prada” after losing his eyesight because of an eye infection.
John gave audience members an update on his condition at the conclusion of the musical’s opening night at London’s Dominion Theatre, which was also a charity gala for the Elton John AIDS foundation.
“I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I’ve lost my eyesight so, it’s hard for me to see it,” he said. “But I love to hear it and it quite sounded good tonight.”
John, 77, revealed in September that he had been dealing with a “severe eye infection” that left him with “only limited vision in one eye.” He said it was healing, but it “will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye.”
Last week, he told “Good Morning America” that there’s “hope and encouragement” that he will recover, but admits he can’t even see a lyric at the studio.
“I can’t see anything, I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything,” John said.
John retired from touring in 2023, but wrote the score for “The Devil Wears Prada,” a stage musical based on the 2006 movie (which itself was based on the 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger) about a young journalist navigating the demands of a fashion magazine and its fearsome editor. In addition to the show, he has a documentary, “Elton John: Never Too Late” about him coming out on Dec. 13.
The pop legend also achieved EGOT status earlier this year after winning an Emmy for outstanding variety special (live) for his show “Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium.”
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