Derrick Groves, last of the escaped New Orleans inmates, has been captured, US Marshals say

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Gray News) - The last of 10 inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail in May has been captured, according to the U.S. Marshals.

Derrick Groves was captured by Atlanta police after he was found hiding in a crawl space beneath a home in the area.

Groves, 28, escaped from the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans on May 16, 2025, along with nine other inmates in what has become one of Louisiana’s most high-profile jail breaks in decades.

While most of the escapees were captured within weeks, Groves remained at large for nearly five months.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair said Groves was located after a search that lasted several hours at a home on Honeysuckle Lane. Authorities deployed gas multiple times before discovering Groves in a basement crawl space. He was taken into custody by a SWAT team and booked into the Fulton County Jail as a fugitive from justice.

“They couldn’t find him. They had to deploy gas multiple times into the house and basement,” Fair said. “Based on how long it took a seasoned, well-trained SWAT team to get him out, he had planned to hide for a while.”

Video released by Atlanta police shows Groves shirtless, shoeless and shackled at his wrists and ankles blowing a kiss and grinning as officers led him to a patrol car.

Federal investigators previously said they believe Groves received help from outside accomplices, including a former jail employee and girlfriend, Darriana Burton, who has since been arrested and charged with aiding the escape.

He was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder following a conviction in 2024 for opening fire at a Mardi Gras block party that killed two people and wounded several others. He was also convicted of two counts of manslaughter in a separate case.

The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office said Groves will face additional charges related to the jailbreak; though officials have not yet specified what those charges will be.