Officials: Killer escaped from Pennsylvania prison by scaling wall with razor wire at the top

Officials have released video of a convicted murderer days after he escaped from a prison in Chester, Pennsylvania.

>> Read more trending news

Chester County District Attorney released a video Wednesday showing Danelo Cavalcantes escaping prison from the exercise yard.

Danelo Cavalcante, 34, escaped last Thursday from Chester State Prison in Chester, Pennsylvania. Cavalcante had been sentenced to life in prison last month for killing his ex-girlfriend in front of her children after she learned he had killed another woman. He escaped while awaiting transfer to state prison to begin his sentence.

The video was played in a news conference Wednesday by Howard Holland, the acting warden for Chester County Prison and it reportedly showed Cavalcantes scaling a wall, climbing over razor wire and then jumping to a roof, according to The Associated Press. The escape reportedly went undetected by guards at the prison for an hour, officials said as the manhunt for Cavalcantes continued for a seventh day.

Holland said a consultant was brought in after an inmate escaped from the same area in May, the AP reported. That inmate was returned within minutes after a guard in the tower sounded the alarm quickly.

Since the consultant was brought in, razor wire was added to the top of the wall. Holland also said that the prison is considering adding additional officers to the yard during recreation times plus adding caging at the top of the yards, according to the AP.

Holland said that the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office has taken over the investigation, the AP reported.

The DA’s office said internal and criminal investigations into Cavalcantes are ongoing. A tower guard on duty during the time Cavalcantes escaped has been put on leave as the escape investigation continues, according to the AP.