Final New Orleans jail escapee Derrick Groves taken into custody after five-month manhunt

The last remaining fugitive, who was part of a group of New Orleans jail inmates that escaped earlier this year, was involved in a standoff with authorities in Atlanta, authorities said. 

Derrick Groves was taken into custody following the incident, the Louisiana State Police (LSP) said. 

"Through a coordinated effort involving Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans, the United States Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana State Police, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, the New Orleans Police Department, the Atlanta Police Department, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, 28-year-old Derrick Groves, was apprehended on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia after a brief stand-off," an LSP statement to Fox News said.

Groves, 28, a four-time convicted killer who has been on the run for five months, and nine other inmates escaped on May 16 from the Orleans Parish Justice Center.

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"I was deeply concerned that someone that had been convicted of a double homicide, and was supposed to be in Angola, would not go easily," Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams told reporters. "I was afraid that there would be loss of life, whether it be civilian or law enforcement. And I don't think we thank Derrick Groves for that, I think we thank God for that, that he was taken into custody without injury."

Williams said authorities will investigate whether Groves was assisted while on the run. He did not comment on how Groves made it to Atlanta. 

At the time of his escape, Groves was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder following a 2024 conviction for opening fire at a Mardi Gras block party that killed two people and wounded several others.

Aside from the nine inmates, many of whom have been charged with heinous violent crimes, several relatives and jail staffers have been arrested on suspicion of aiding the escapees.

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The Orleans Justice Center is operating at only 60% staffing, and at the time of the escape, four supervisors and 36 staff members were monitoring 1,400 inmates, authorities said.

Many of the fugitive inmates were captured within weeks of their escape.

Darriana Burton, a former Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office employee believed to be Groves' girlfriend, was arrested in June on suspicion of helping him escape from the jail.

An arrest affidavit states that she allegedly coordinated contact between Groves and individuals outside the jail and communicated information related to the escape.