By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

“On a hot summer’s morning, just outside the confines of the Chester County Prison, residents exercised on a path without so much as a second thought to the criminals within the nearby walls topped with barbed wire. From Chapter One of A Killer at the Door: The Dramatic Prison Break and Manhunt for Convicted Murderer Danilo Cavalcante by Bruce Mowday

Last year, when the word spread that local author and historian Bruce Mowday was beginning research on a book about the escape and ultimate capture of convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante in late August and early September of 2023, the general consensus was that the story that would be written about those 13 days was in the best of hands. 

Mowday’s written work had already dovetailed generously with recent Chester County history. He is the author of Small Town Cops in the Crosshairs: The 1972 Sniper Slayings of Policemen William Davis and Richard Posey, that documented the killings of two Kennett Square police officers; Jailing the Johnston Gang, that retold the story of criminal murderers Norman, David and Bruce A. Johnston and the terror they inflicted on Chester County and the east Coast for decades; and Stealing Wyeth, which told the tale of how a group of local criminals stole 15 paintings from Andrew Wyeth’s estate.

Last week, Mowday spoke with the Chester County Press about his newest book, A Killer at the Door: The Dramatic Prison Break and Manhunt for Convicted Murderer Danilo Cavalcante, published by Schiffer Publishing that will be released on Feb. 27.

Many people who are reading this story remember what those two weeks were like in late August and early September of 2023 and how Cavalcante’s escape gripped them. What were those two weeks like for you?

I live about 12 miles from the Chester County Prison, and even though I was not in the direct center of where they were searching, I know a lot of friends in that area, and they told me their experiences. I turned to social media because traditional newspapers like yours and some of the Philadelphia TV stations were not providing me with the most up-to-date information. I was trying to piece everything together from my experience as a news reporter and see what was going on. 

What inspired you to write this book?

When this happened, it was a fascinating and local story but at first, I wasn’t convinced anyone would remember Cavalcante six months after he was captured. I quickly changed my mind. I received several messages from friends who said that I was the one to write the book and that it needs to be written. They then directed me immediately to the people who live near the prison and how the story was changing their lives. Their accounts form a good part of the book.

I also received a note from a grandfather a few weeks after the capture, because he said his grandson is still traumatized by helicopters and has difficulty sleeping. It all started coming together, and as I went to the public meetings afterwards and talked with everybody, the layers of the story formed one on top of the other. 

How did you first begin to break down the research for the book? Where did you start?

My training as a reporter really helped me all through the book – how to write and how to organize. It’s really about becoming a storyteller. You have to keep the readers reading along with you, so it’s got to be more than dates and times but discovering the threads that pull the story together. Since I knew a lot of the people who were involved and because of my experience as a reporter, it was easier for me to get entrée to them and get them to talk with me.

As I was writing the book, I realized that I had to tell this like a story. What was Chester County like on that day [of Cavalcante’s escape]? How did it happen? I was able to get several really good interviews with members of the Marshall’s Office and the head investigator. 

I think I spoke to about 80 people and had about 40 formal interviews, in addition to attending Cavalcante’s primary hearing and sentencing.

In terms of those you interviewed, whose insights rose above the rest?

The two representatives I spoke with from the Marshall’s Office. One was in the command post and the other was underneath the briar trying to find Cavalcante. They both provided excellent information. Chester County Chief Detective David M. Sassa sat down with me for a good interview and John Sanville, the superintendent of the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, provided me with an amazing account of the day of Cavalcante’s escape, and how the district was informed about what was going on, and what they didn’t know.

How long did you spend on research, interviews, writing and fact checking your book?

It was pretty close to a year. 

You have written about the Johnston gang, the theft of 15 Wyeth paintings and the murders of two Kennett Square police officers. The Cavalcante story ranks among those other major stories, in terms of its grip on the local community, yes?

I would certainly agree with that. This is a very important story for Chester County because it’s more than just a crime story. You have to look at the county government, which failed to protect its citizens because it didn’t have enough guards. There were obvious issues at the prison that enabled a prisoner to escape the same way a few weeks before Cavalcante escaped. 

You had the government failing in their job. You had the escape and the search, and the expense of that, which no one has placed a number on, but I haven’t anybody disagree with me that it was $20 million when you put everything together. You had people traumatized and who are still suffering. I sense a wider impact which has made it a more important story for the county.

Many people still hold county enforcement accountable for what happened, but as the dust continues to settle on the Cavalcante story, what has been learned?

As it settles, it was a tough lesson for the county – government, law enforcement and its citizens. Cavalcante is still discussed around the courthouse and the prison and now they have a grand plan on how to secure the prison with monitors, enhanced security and enclosures. Hopefully they are working on it and making sure that everything is secure.

Bruce Mowday’s book A Killer at the Door: The Dramatic Prison Break and Manhunt for Convicted Murderer Danilo Cavalcante, published by Schiffer Publishing, can be ordered through SchifferBooks.com, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and wherever books are sold. Mowday will be appearing on March 6 at Traditions at Longwood, 100 Primrose Drive, Kennett Square at 7 p.m.; on March 8 at Ace Hardware, 1150 Pocopson Road in West Chester, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; on March 8 at Ware Presbyterian Village, 7 East Locust Street, Oxford from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; on March 13 at The General Warren, 9 Old Lancaster Pike, Malvern, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; on March 15 at the Italian American Club in Kennett Square, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; on April 24 at the Avon Grove Library, 117 Rosehill Avenue, West Grove, at 6:30 p.m.; and on April 26 at Paradocx Vineyards, 1833 Flint Hill Road, Landenberg, at 4 p.m.

To learn more about Bruce Mowday, visit www.mowday.com.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].