How Derrick Groves Escaped a New Orleans Jail — and Stayed on the Run for Five Months

Derrick Groves, a convicted double murderer, became the last of 10 inmates to be recaptured after a daring jailbreak from a New Orleans detention facility in May 2025. His escape exposed serious security failures inside the jail and triggered a five-month manhunt that ended thousands of questions later in an Atlanta home.

The escape happened during the early hours of May 16, 2025, at the Orleans Parish Justice Center. Groves and nine other inmates managed to leave their cells, cut through a wall behind a toilet and make their way out of the facility.

According to investigators, the inmates began tampering with a locked cell door shortly after midnight. They moved into an unoccupied cell and created an opening in the wall behind the toilet. Surveillance footage later showed the group leaving through a loading area, while a routine head count did not reveal the escape until approximately 8:30 a.m.

The inmates reportedly left behind taunting messages on the wall, including “To Easy LOL.” The discovery prompted an extensive search involving local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Investigators also examined whether people inside the facility had helped the escapees. A maintenance worker, Sterling Williams, admitted turning off water to the cell but claimed he had been threatened by inmates. Authorities also arrested people suspected of helping the fugitives with transportation, food, money or shelter.

While most of the escapees were captured within weeks, Groves remained missing. Authorities believed he had received help while moving away from Louisiana, but the precise details of his movements were still being investigated.

The manhunt ended on October 8, 2025, after a tip submitted to CrimeStoppers led investigators toward a home in the Atlanta area. Officers from the U.S. Marshals Service and Atlanta police carried out a coordinated operation at the property.

Initially, officers found no obvious sign that Groves was inside. After deploying tear gas and searching the house, a police dog located him hiding in a crawl space in the basement. He was taken into custody following a standoff that lasted several hours.

Groves had been convicted of killing Byron Jackson and Jamar Robinson during a 2018 Mardi Gras block-party shooting in New Orleans. He was also convicted in connection with other shootings and was awaiting sentencing when he escaped.

After his arrest, Groves waived extradition and was expected to return to Louisiana to face additional escape charges. Prosecutors indicated that the charges could be aggravated because of the circumstances surrounding the jailbreak.

The escape raised wider concerns about security at the Orleans Parish Justice Center, including defective locks, monitoring failures and possible assistance from people connected to the facility. Authorities continued investigating whether additional individuals played a role in the escape or helped Groves remain free.

Groves’ recapture brought the five-month manhunt to an end, but questions about how the inmates managed to break out — and how the final fugitive evaded authorities for so long — remained central to the investigation.

Source:  PEOPLE