Killer’s escape from Pennsylvania jail costs him his right to appeal life sentence

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania appeals court has ruled that a convicted killer’s jail escape last year cost him his right to appeal his original life sentence. Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled Wednesday that Danilo Cavalcante’s fugitive status affected the deadline for his attorneys to appeal his murder sentence and that the appeal came too late. Cavalcante escaped from a Chester County lockup while waiting to be transferred to state prison to serve a life sentence for killing his ex-girlfriend. He was captured two weeks later after an intense manhunt that made national headlines.