Table of Contents
- The Midnight Escape
- Who Is Derrick Groves?
- Chronic Failures at Orleans Parish Jail
- The Hunt for Fugitives
- Sources
The Midnight Escape
In the dead of night on May 16, 2025, ten inmates pulled off a jailbreak that would shock New Orleans—and expose deep flaws in one of America’s most troubled detention facilities.
Just after midnight, the group managed to pry open a locked cell door inside the Orleans Parish Prison. Using brute force and desperation, they ripped a metal toilet from the wall, revealing a narrow cavity behind it. One by one, the men squeezed through the opening, emerging into a loading dock area.
By 1 a.m., security footage captured them leaping from the dock and vanishing into the dark streets of downtown New Orleans. Within minutes, another camera spotted some of the escapees blocks away—proof that the facility’s surveillance and perimeter security had catastrophically failed.
Who Is Derrick Groves?
While all ten fugitives were facing serious charges, one name immediately caught the attention of law enforcement and the public: Derrick Groves.
Groves, 27, had already been convicted of four murders—including two unrelated killings and a deadly 2018 Mardi Gras shooting that left two men dead and two others wounded. At the time of the escape, he was awaiting a sentencing hearing that would have confirmed a life sentence without parole.
“When I saw the footage, I recognized him instantly,” said Jason Williams, District Attorney for Orleans Parish. “This wasn’t just another inmate on the run. This was a man who had already taken multiple lives.”
Why Groves Stood Out
- Convicted of four separate homicides
- Linked to a high-profile Mardi Gras mass shooting in 2018
- Was awaiting mandatory life sentencing at the time of escape
- Had no chance of release—making his flight purely desperate
Chronic Failures at Orleans Parish Jail
The escape didn’t happen in a vacuum. For years, the Orleans Parish Jail has been under federal scrutiny for overcrowding, understaffing, and deteriorating infrastructure.
Reports from the U.S. Department of Justice have repeatedly cited “inhumane conditions” and “systemic neglect.” In 2023, a federal monitor described the facility as “operating on the edge of collapse.”
Security protocols appeared minimal: the inmates exploited a decades-old plumbing system, bypassed unmonitored corridors, and exited through an unsecured dock—all without triggering alarms.
The Hunt for Fugitives
Following the breakout, a massive manhunt was launched across Louisiana. Authorities issued statewide alerts and coordinated with the FBI and U.S. Marshals.
One of the escapees, nicknamed “Houdini” for having escaped custody at least twice before, added urgency to the operation. As of October 2025, most of the group had been recaptured—but Derrick Groves remained at large for months, fueling public anxiety and political backlash.
Local residents expressed fear and frustration. “If they can’t hold someone convicted of four murders, who can they hold?” asked one downtown business owner.
