Detailed Timeline: 2025 New Orleans Jailbreak

2018

• Mardi Gras Day: Derrick Groves is involved in a shooting that leaves two dead and two injured.

October 2024

• Derrick Groves is convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder for his role in the 2018 Mardi Gras Day shootings.

May 15, 2025

• 10:30 p.m. CDT: The Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) is locked down according to standard nighttime rules.

May 16, 2025

• Approx. 12:20 a.m. CDT: Prisoners begin to manipulate and yank open a cell door, known to be faulty. The jail's lone guard is away getting food, and a civilian camera monitor has stepped away from their post.

• 12:23 a.m. CDT: Inmates start pulling on a cell door.

• 12:43 a.m. CDT: The inmates enter a cell where the water to the toilet has been turned off. Someone, either inside or outside the cell, saws through rebar, bolts, and a pipe to create a hole behind the toilet.

• 1:01 a.m. CDT: Surveillance video captures 10 inmates sprinting out of a loading dock door, using blankets to scale a barbed wire fence, and then running across an interstate.

• 1:01 a.m. CDT onwards: The escape goes unnoticed for hours.

• 6:30 a.m. CDT: A shift change occurs, but the escape is still not discovered.

• 8:47 a.m. CDT: During morning headcount, the escape is finally discovered. Staff find the hole in the cell wall and a taunting message left behind by the inmates.

• Morning (Undisclosed Time): Prison officials begin to suspect inside help facilitated the escape.

• Throughout the day: Three of the ten escaped inmates (Dkenan Dennis, Robert Moody, Kendall Myles) are captured and taken to the Louisiana State Penitentiary via helicopter. A manhunt for the remaining escapees begins.

May 17, 2025

• The FBI emphasizes the consequences of harboring a fugitive. Governor Jeff Landry points fingers at District Attorney Jason Williams and criminal court judges, announcing plans for the Department of Corrections to audit the jail and investigations by the Attorney General and Inspector General.

May 19, 2025

• A fourth escapee, Gary Price (age 21), is captured in New Orleans.

• Sterling Williams, a jail plumber, is charged with turning off the water to the cell toilet used by the inmates to escape. This is reported later in the week.

May 20, 2025

• A fifth escapee, Corey Boyd (age 20), is captured.

• Sterling Williams, a jail maintenance worker, is formally arrested and accused of turning off the water in certain cells to aid the escapees. He is charged with 10 counts of principle to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office, with a $1.1 million bond. His attorney states he was merely unclogging a toilet at a deputy's direction.

• Three additional jail employees are suspended without pay pending investigation.

• Connie Weeden (age 59), grandmother of Jermaine Donald, is charged with assisting him.

May 21, 2025

• Two women, Cortnie Harris (age 32) and Corvanntay Baptiste (age 38), are arrested for aiding the escapees and charged with being accessories after the fact. Harris was in communication with an escapee before the escape and drove two others around the city. Baptiste helped Boyd get food while in hiding.

May 22, 2025

• Another woman, Casey Smith (age 30), is arrested for being an accomplice and admits her involvement to arresting officers.

May 23, 2025

• Seven people have been arrested for aiding the escapees: 1 jail employee (Sterling Williams), 1 jail inmate (Trevon Williams, charged May 24th), and 5 acquaintances.

• Emmitt Weber is charged with assisting two unnamed escapees.

May 24-25, 2025

• Four people who are family or acquaintances of escapee Lenton Vanburen are arrested for assisting him.

• Trevon Williams, an inmate already in custody, is charged with ten counts of simple escape for his role in assisting the escapees from inside the jail.

May 26, 2025

• Lenton Vanburen (age 27) is captured in Baton Rouge.

• Leo Tate (age 32) and Jermaine Donald (age 43) are captured in Walker County, Texas.

• With these captures, nine escapees have been apprehended, leaving only Derrick Groves at large.

May 27, 2025

• Lenton Vanburen Sr. (age 48), Lenika Vanburen (age 28), Patricia Vanburen (age 18), Tyshanea Randolph (age 27), and Angel McKay (age 41) are arrested for assisting Lenton Vanburen.

• Diamond White (age 21) is charged with "principal to aggravated escape" for assisting Antoine Massey.

May 28, 2025

• James Randolph is accused of assisting his cousin, Lenton Vanburen, acquire a hotel room.

• Vi Duc Nguyen is accused of paying for the Baton Rouge hotel room where Lenton Vanburen was arrested.

June 9, 2025

• Darriana Burton is arrested, accused of assisting her boyfriend, Derrick Groves.

June 27, 2025

• Antoine Massey (age 33) is captured at a residence in New Orleans, specifically in the Third District/Hollygrove area. He walks out peacefully and is taken to a secure state correctional facility. This marks the ninth escapee captured, leaving Derrick Groves as the only remaining fugitive.

• New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick appeals for Derrick Groves to peacefully turn himself in.

• Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Hodges confirms a $50,000 reward for information leading to Groves' arrest.

Cast of Characters: 2025 New Orleans Jailbreak

The Escapees (10 total, 9 captured, 1 at large):

• Derrick Groves (age 28): The sole remaining fugitive. Convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder for his role in a 2018 Mardi Gras Day shooting. Also faces a charge of battery against a correctional facility employee. A $50,000 reward is offered for information leading to his capture.

• Antoine Massey (age 33): Captured on June 27, 2025. Charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation, automotive theft, and a parole violation. This was his fourth escape from jail.

• Jermaine Donald (age 43): Captured on May 26, 2025. Charged with second-degree murder, aggravated battery, and illegal possession of a firearm.

• Leo Tate (age 32): Captured on May 26, 2025. Charged with second-degree murder.

• Lenton Vanburen (age 27): Captured on May 26, 2025. Charged with second-degree murder.

• Corey Boyd (age 20): Captured on May 20, 2025. Charged with second-degree murder.

• Gary Price (age 21): Captured on May 19, 2025. Charged with attempted first-degree murder, simple assault, criminal damage, domestic abuse, battery, and assault with a weapon.

• Dkenan Dennis (age 24): Captured on May 16, 2025. Charged with armed robbery with a firearm and illegal carrying of a weapon during a crime of violence.

• Robert Moody (age 22): Captured on May 16, 2025. Charged with attempted second-degree battery and obstruction.

• Kendall Myles (age 21): Captured on May 16, 2025. Found under a car at a hotel garage in the French Quarter. Charged with intention to conceal a weapon, introducing contraband into a prison, and possession of contraband.

Accessories/Accomplices (13 charged):

• Darriana Burton: Arrested June 9, 2025. Accused of assisting her boyfriend, Derrick Groves.

• James Randolph: Arrested May 28, 2025. Accused of assisting his cousin, Lenton Vanburen, acquire a hotel room.

• Vi Duc Nguyen: Arrested May 28, 2025. Accused of paying for the Baton Rouge hotel room where Lenton Vanburen was arrested.

• Lenton Vanburen Sr. (age 48): Arrested May 27, 2025. Father of escapee Lenton Vanburen, charged with assisting him.

• Lenika Vanburen (age 28): Arrested May 27, 2025. Relative of Lenton Vanburen, charged with assisting him.

• Patricia Vanburen (age 18): Arrested May 27, 2025. Relative of Lenton Vanburen, charged with assisting him.

• Tyshanea Randolph (age 27): Arrested May 27, 2025. Charged with assisting Lenton Vanburen.

• Angel McKay (age 41): Arrested May 27, 2025. Charged with assisting Lenton Vanburen.

• Diamond White (age 21): Arrested May 27, 2025. Charged with "principal to aggravated escape" for assisting Antoine Massey.

• Trevon Williams: An inmate already in custody. Charged on May 24, 2025, with ten counts of simple escape for allegedly assisting the escapees from inside the jail.

• Emmitt Weber: Arrested May 23, 2025. Charged with assisting two unnamed escapees.

• Casey Smith (age 30): Arrested May 22, 2025. Admitted her involvement to arresting officers.

• Cortnie Harris (age 32): Arrested May 21, 2025. Accused of being in phone contact with one of the escapees and driving two others around the city to various locations.

• Corvanntay Baptiste (age 38): Arrested May 21, 2025. Charged with accessory after the fact to simple escape, having been in touch with Corey Boyd and helping him get food.

• Connie Weeden (age 59): Arrested May 20, 2025. Charged with assisting her grandson, Jermaine Donald.

• Sterling Williams (age 33): Arrested May 19, 2025. A jail plumber, charged with turning off the water to the cell toilet which was used by the ten inmates to escape. His attorney states he was merely unclogging a toilet as part of his job.

Jail Officials/Authorities:

• Susan Hutson: Current Sheriff of Orleans Parish. Facing scrutiny and investigations into the jail's administration, funding, and maintenance issues, which she attributes to lack of funding and issues carried over from prior administrations.

• Marlon Gusman: Former Sheriff of Orleans Parish and Susan Hutson's predecessor. Stated that the failures leading to the escape were "catastrophic" and that none of the issues were too big to have been addressed, acknowledging problems existed during his tenure as well.

• Anne Kirkpatrick: New Orleans Police Superintendent. Involved in the press conferences regarding the capture of escapees, and made an appeal for Derrick Groves to turn himself in.

• Col. Hodges: Louisiana State Police Superintendent. Confirmed the $50,000 reward for Derrick Groves' capture.

• Jeff Landry: Governor of Louisiana. Called the jailbreak the "worst in recent state history." He announced plans for the Department of Corrections to audit the jail and launched investigations by the Attorney General and Inspector General. Issued Executive Order Number JML 25-063 for the "ORLEANS JAIL BREAK INVESTIGATION."

• Liz Murrill: Louisiana Attorney General. Stated, "They can keep running, but they can't hide forever," and announced that Antoine Massey would face additional charges.

• Michael Kennedy: Appointed attorney for Sterling Williams. Argued that Williams was simply doing his job unclogging a toilet at the direction of a deputy, not aiding an escape.

• Jason Williams: District Attorney, criticized by Governor Jeff Landry in the wake of the escape.

• Unspecified Sheriff's Deputy: Allegedly instructed Sterling Williams to unclog a toilet, requiring the water to be shut off.

• Unspecified Civilian Camera Monitor: Stepped away from their post during the escape.

• Unspecified Jail Guard: Lone guard who was away getting food when the escape began.

• Unspecified Jail Employees (3): Suspended without pay pending the outcome of the investigation.

Agencies Involved in Manhunt/Investigation:

• Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations

• Department of Homeland Security

• FBI

• U.S. Marshals Service

• New Orleans Police Department (NOPD)

• Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO)

• Louisiana Department of Corrections (DOC)

• Inspector General

• City Council