E-Paper
Derrick Groves arrest: NOLA inmate's mom ‘all messed up’; first video of crawl space capture emerges
Derrick Groves, the final inmate who escaped Louisiana's Orleans Parish Justice Center, has been captured
Derrick Groves, the final inmate who escaped Louisiana's Orleans Parish Justice Center, has been captured, officials revealed on Wednesday. The 28-year-old and nine others crawled through a hole behind a toilet back in May. Others were caught in the weeks following their escape. Groves was caught in Atlanta.
Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair confirmed that officers were involved in a brief standoff in Atlanta. The New Orleans inmate, convicted of murder, was hiding in a crawl space. “It appears he was the only one in this house and he was hidden pretty well," Fair said. He was facing a possible life sentence before the jailbreak.
Fair said law enforcement developed a lead on Groves’ whereabouts with support from the anonymous tip program Crimestoppers, and that the information originated out of New Orleans. No one else was arrested.
Derrick Groves's mother reacts
As the first videos of Grove's capture emerged, his mother reacted.
“I’m all messed up, I’m just trying to talk to him,” Stephanie Groves told The Associated Press. “I’m just seeing it on the internet, I woke up to it on the internet.”
The report added that she was holding back tears and was concerned for her son's safety.
“It’s just been a mess,” she said. “I’m just glad it’s over with.”
“Of course he was going to get caught,” she added.
Groves, convicted in 2024 for fatally shooting two people and injuring several others during a Mardi Gras family block party, will likely face additional charges for the jailbreak.
Groves and nine other inmates were accused of breaking out of the New Orleans jail earlier this year. Most were awaiting trial or sentencing for violent crimes, including murder. All ten men have since been charged with simple escape, an offense that adds two to five years to their existing sentences, according to the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office.
In July, the nine co-defendants pleaded not guilty during a virtual court appearance from the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Groves’ attorney attended his arraignment but did not enter a plea, local outlet The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported.
“Everyone is entitled to due process,” Attorney General Liz Murrill said, “but there’s a video of these detainees running out of the jail in the middle of the night. They were not heading to court hearings.”
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams praised law enforcement for capturing the fugitives and vowed that his office “will pursue every available legal avenue” to hold them accountable.
(With AP inputs)
