Nine of the ten men who pulled off one of the largest jailbreaks in recent U.S. history virtually appeared in court from the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
Each of the inmates who were captured pleaded not guilty to escape charges tied to their May breakout from the New Orleans Justice Center.
Only one man was missing from the Wednesday court date: Derrick Groves, the 28-year-old convicted killer who remains a fugitive more than two months after slipping through a hole in a jail cell wall and vanishing into the night, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Groves, whose crimes include a double murder during a 2023 Mardi Gras block party, escaped on May 16 alongside nine other inmates. Authorities say the men accessed a vacant cell with a disabled toilet, removed the toilet fixture from the wall, and crawled through a hole hidden behind it.
One corrections officer was arrested for assisting the escapees by turning off the water access to the toilet, allegedly allowing the inmates to dismantle the toilet without flooding or causing any alarm. 33-year-old Sterling Williams was taken in by the police in late May, but told investigators that he was forced to aid the inmates under threat, or duress.
After escaping through the vacant cell, the inmates climbed the barbed wire fences outside the New Orleans Jail and fled.
When officials realized the group was missing during a routine morning headcount, they discovered a taunting message scrawled above a new hole in the wall: “To Easy LoL.”
Ten men have been charged with simple escape, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. This charge is in addition to the charges that landed them in jail in the first place: charges that, for Groves and many of the others, involve a potential life sentence.
Groves, also known as “Woo” on the streets, was convicted in 2024 of gunning down two men with an assault rifle and wounding several others. Since the escape, he’s become a ghost. A problem exacerbated by the reported distrust between the community in New Orleans, where Groves grew up, and the police.
Authorities now believe friends and family are helping Groves.
His last confirmed whereabouts were in the Lower Ninth Ward, the same New Orleans neighborhood where he was raised, and where investigators say he may still be hiding. That area remains under intense scrutiny by law enforcement.
“I just want him to turn himself in,” said Jasmine Groves, his aunt, in a past interview with reporters.
The jailbreak also sparked a bizarre and controversial betting frenzy. Users of the crypto-based betting site Polymarket wagered thousands of dollars on which escapees would be caught next, and who might make it the longest. Groves quickly became the most bet-on name, with his odds of capture fluctuating – like a sports betting line – as tips poured and others were captured.
To date, at least 16 people have been arrested and charged with helping the escapees, per PBS. In June, the U.S. Marshals Service arrested 28-year-old Darriana Burton for allegedly assisting her boyfriend, Groves, in his escape efforts. Burton, a former Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office employee, is now charged with conspiracy to commit simple escape, as previously covered by DX.
Groves’ attorney was present for this week’s hearing but declined to enter a plea on his behalf. A $50,000 reward is still being offered for information leading to the arrest of the final New Orleans escapee.