Latest news with #DerrickGroves
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
St. Tammany Parish leaders discuss hurricane preparations
St. TAMMANY PARISH, La. (WGNO) — St. Tammany Parish leaders joined first responders and the national weather service to discuss hurricane preparedness Thursday, June 12. Officials said preparations may look different this season due to the Louisiana National Guard taking over the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Celebrate Fourth of July in style at these Greater New Orleans events However, GOHSEP'S interim director said their goals remain the same. Officials said the merge won't negatively affect preparations and response. They said they aim to make operations efficient using the advantages of the National Orleans public defenders prepared to aid if Antoine Massey, Derrick Groves surrender Toasty temps and isolated storms for Thursday Person fatally struck by train in St. Rose 'Immaturity': Rand Paul rips White House after being 'uninvited' from picnic Learning dance moves from 'Velma Kelly' from Broadway's 'Chicago' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Daily Mail
New Orleans jail escapee's 'Bonnie and Clyde' accomplice revealed
The girlfriend of one of the inmates who escaped in the huge New Orleans jail break has been arrested while her 'on-again, off-again' lover remains on the lam. Former prison guard Darriana Burton, 28, was charged with 'conspiracy to commit simple escape' after 10 inmates broke free from the Orleans Parish Jail in Louisiana on May 16. Her boyfriend, convicted killer Derrick Groves, 27, is one of two inmates not yet captured. Burton allegedly had 'intentional and active involvement in the planning phase' and is accused of picking up at least one of the inmates after the escape, according to the Louisiana's Attorney General's Office. Burton participated in a video call with Groves two days before the escape and held up another phone to the camera for another, unknown man, to join the conversation and discuss the escape outside the jail's monitoring systems, according to an affidavit obtained by Fox 8. The pair called again later that evening, during which the three had another conversation. This time, the unidentified man reportedly said the prison break plan was a 'bad move' and could 'trigger a manhunt.' Detectives believe, however, that at this point outside contacts had been made aware of the plan and it was already underway. Burton previously worked at the Sheriff's Office from 2022 until she was arrested and charged for bringing contraband into the jail and malfeasance in office in 2023, according to a statement from Attorney General Liz Murrill. Ten prisoners were captured on shocking video footage escaping from the Orleans Parish Jail in New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 16 Groves is one of two inmates who remain at large after ten escaped through a wall behind a prison toilet. The group of escapees used a blanket to protect themselves from the barbed wired fence. He has been linked to four killings, and authorities warned that he may be violent or attempt to locate witnesses in his murder trial. Groves was accused for attempted second-degree murder at 17, but was eventually found not guilty, according to court records obtained by CNN. Then, he was convicted for the second time last year of two charges on second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder for the 2018 shooting on Mardi Gras. Groves was found to have be one of two gunmen who opened fire on 'what should have been joyous Mardi Gras family gathering' with AK-47-style assault rifles, according to the District Attorney's Office. He was found guilty of killing Jamar Robinson and Byron Jackson as well as the attempt on the life of two other victims who were shot. Groves' aunt, Jasmine Groves, pleaded with her nephew to turn himself in to avoid any deadly force in attempts to return him into custody. She told WDSU that no one in her family knows where Groves is following his escape. 'For my family, it's been like reliving a constant nightmare that we relived throughout these whole 30 years,' she said, adding that Groves' mother had been taken by law enforcement for questioning. Groves was found guilty of killing Jamar Robinson and Byron Jackson as well as the attempt on the life of two other victims who were shot The remaining inmate on the loose is fellow escapee Antoine Massey who is wanted in connection to a rape and kidnapping in St. Tammany Parish, as well as domestic abuse and theft charges in Orleans Parish. Massey, 32, released a video on Instagram where he pleaded his innocent and insisted he was 'let out' last month. 'I'm one of the ones that was let out of Orleans Parish jail where they said I escaped, right?' Massey says. The heavily-tattooed con looked down the camera as he insisted charges against him had been made up by a jealous woman he was 'dating'. 'The reason why I left the jail is because these people were trying to give me a life sentence in both parishes for something I did not do,' he said. As he claimed he is a victim of corruption, Massey appealed for help from public figures who had 'been through the corrupt system', including Trump, Lil Wayne and the recently-pardoned rapper NBA YoungBoy. Murrill said in the latest release that they will 'continue to pursue anyone and everyone who has aided and abetted these criminals.' 'We will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you to the full extent of the law,' Murrill added. 'I'd like to thank the US Marshals Service for our executing our warrant for [Burton]. We will eventually get Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves back to prison where they belong.' Sterling Williams (pictured), 33, has been arrested for helping a group of violent criminals escape by allegedly turning off the water to their cell block The group of escapees were also said to have been aided by a prison maintenance worker, Sterling Williams, who allegedly turned off the water to the cell they broke out of. Williams said he was forced to do so and the inmates threatened to 'shank' him if he refused, Massey said in his Instagram video, however, that wasn't true. 'Sterling flat-out lied on me,' Massey said. Police have arrested more than a dozen alleged accomplices since the escape last month, including the grandmother of one of the escapees who allegedly helped him escape. Connie Weeden, 59, is accused of helping her grandson Jermaine Donald and allegedly was in regular contact with him before and after the jailbreak. The investigation uncovered evidence that Weeden was speaking to Donald over the phone in the lead-up to the escape and continued providing assistance even after he had fled the facility. Police say she even provided cash to the dangerous fugitive through a mobile phone app, potentially helping to fund his life on the run. The inmates who have been successfully located and returned to custody include Corey Boyd, 20, Kendall Myles, 21, Gary Price, 21, Dkenan Dennis, 24, Robert Moody, 22, Leo Tate, 32, Lenton Vanburen Jr., 27, and Jermaine Donald, 42. There is now a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the remaining escapee's arrests.
CNN
11-06-2025
- CNN
A Girlfriend of one of the 2 New Orleans inmates still on the run is now among over a dozen arrested. Authorities say she helped facilitate escape plans.
Agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and US Marshals arrested a former correctional center employee Monday who is accused of helping one of the two New Orleans prison escapees still on the run plan the brazen escape. Darriana Burton was taken into custody without incident in New Orleans and is facing a felony charge of conspiracy to commit simple escape related to her alleged involvement in facilitating Derrick Groves' escape last month, the state's attorney general said in a statement. 'Burton is believed to be the current girlfriend of Derrick Groves. We have confirmed they were in an on-again, off-again relationship for three years,' Liz Murrill said. Burton worked for the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office from August 2022 to March 2023, according to Murrill. She does not have a defense attorney listed yet, according Orleans Parish Magistrate Court records, and joins more than a dozen other people already charged with helping the 10 escapees, both before and after they broke out. Special agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation discovered there was 'probable cause' that Burton 'knowingly and willfully' helped plan the escape, which saw inmates removing a sink-toilet combination unit from a cell, use a tool to saw through steel bars behind the fixture, and leave the Orleans Parish Correctional Center after midnight on May 16. During their review, investigators discovered Burton had exchanged text messages and video calls with Groves in the days leading up to the escape. 'As part of the investigation, agents reviewed inmate communications transmitted through SmartCom, an internet-based messaging and video call system utilized by inmates via facility-issued iPADs,' the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation wrote in an arrest warrant affidavit for Burton. 'This conversation remained intentionally vague,' the affidavit said, and appeared to coordinate communication on unmonitored lines to plan the escape. 'It was implied that Burton would initiate a separate, unmonitored phone call' immediately after the SmartCom session ended, according to the affidavit, which alleged that her actions demonstrated 'intentional and active involvement in the planning phase of the escape.' Eight of the escapees have been caught – most of them in New Orleans. Only Groves, 27, convicted last October of killing two people, and Antoine Massey, 32, who has a history of escaping custody, have continued to evade law enforcement. There is now a $50,000 reward for information that leads to either of their arrests, as multiple law enforcement agencies are asking the public to remain vigilant and continue to be on the lookout for the two men. Tips from the public continue to trickle in, the US Marshals Service says. 'The joint investigation between multiple law enforcement agencies continues and we continue to follow up on Crimestoppers GNO tips and develop new leads,' Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair told CNN. 'To those that would aid or hide Groves and or Massey, you are doing a disservice to the community and you may have your own day in court with felony charges in the near future,' Fair said. Last week, law enforcement agencies searched the home where they believe Massey may have recorded a video proclaiming his innocence and asking rapper Lil Wayne and President Donald Trump for help, but since then, the manhunt has gone quiet. 'We will continue to pursue anyone and everyone who has aided and abetted these criminals. We will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you to the full extent of the law,' Murrill said in the statement.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Alleged accomplice to murder given more charges
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Alleged accomplice in the murder of a Super Bowl reporter has been charged with 15 additional crimes. According to new information released June 10, 34-year-old Rickey White was given an additional 15 charges, including theft, money laundering, access device theft and conspiracy to commit fraud. Girlfriend of escaped New Orleans inmate Derrick Groves arrested: U.S. Marshals White is accused of assisting Danette Colbert in the alleged murder of Kansas City reporter Adam Manzano, who was in town to cover the Super preparing power grid for storms Controversy between Councilman and the OPSO over alleged jail keys Saints head coach Kellen Moore recaps first day of mandatory minicamp Alleged accomplice to murder given more charges Fines waived for those who self-deport, DHS says Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
10-06-2025
- CNN
A Girlfriend of one of the 2 New Orleans inmates still on the run is now among over a dozen arrested. Authorities say she helped facilitate escape plans.
Agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and US Marshals arrested a former correctional center employee Monday who is accused of helping one of the two New Orleans prison escapees still on the run plan the brazen escape. Darriana Burton was taken into custody without incident in New Orleans and is facing a felony charge of conspiracy to commit simple escape related to her alleged involvement in facilitating Derrick Groves' escape last month, the state's attorney general said in a statement. 'Burton is believed to be the current girlfriend of Derrick Groves. We have confirmed they were in an on-again, off-again relationship for three years,' Liz Murrill said. Burton worked for the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office from August 2022 to March 2023, according to Murrill. She does not have a defense attorney listed yet, according Orleans Parish Magistrate Court records, and joins more than a dozen other people already charged with helping the 10 escapees, both before and after they broke out. Special agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation discovered there was 'probable cause' that Burton 'knowingly and willfully' helped plan the escape, which saw inmates removing a sink-toilet combination unit from a cell, use a tool to saw through steel bars behind the fixture, and leave the Orleans Parish Correctional Center after midnight on May 16. During their review, investigators discovered Burton had exchanged text messages and video calls with Groves in the days leading up to the escape. 'As part of the investigation, agents reviewed inmate communications transmitted through SmartCom, an internet-based messaging and video call system utilized by inmates via facility-issued iPADs,' the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation wrote in an arrest warrant affidavit for Burton. 'This conversation remained intentionally vague,' the affidavit said, and appeared to coordinate communication on unmonitored lines to plan the escape. 'It was implied that Burton would initiate a separate, unmonitored phone call' immediately after the SmartCom session ended, according to the affidavit, which alleged that her actions demonstrated 'intentional and active involvement in the planning phase of the escape.' Eight of the escapees have been caught – most of them in New Orleans. Only Groves, 27, convicted last October of killing two people, and Antoine Massey, 32, who has a history of escaping custody, have continued to evade law enforcement. There is now a $50,000 reward for information that leads to either of their arrests, as multiple law enforcement agencies are asking the public to remain vigilant and continue to be on the lookout for the two men. Tips from the public continue to trickle in, the US Marshals Service says. 'The joint investigation between multiple law enforcement agencies continues and we continue to follow up on Crimestoppers GNO tips and develop new leads,' Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair told CNN. 'To those that would aid or hide Groves and or Massey, you are doing a disservice to the community and you may have your own day in court with felony charges in the near future,' Fair said. Last week, law enforcement agencies searched the home where they believe Massey may have recorded a video proclaiming his innocence and asking rapper Lil Wayne and President Donald Trump for help, but since then, the manhunt has gone quiet. 'We will continue to pursue anyone and everyone who has aided and abetted these criminals. We will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you to the full extent of the law,' Murrill said in the statement.
