It has now been more than four months since convicted killer Derrick “Woo” Groves slipped out of a New Orleans jail with other inmates, and despite a nationwide search that has nabbed the other escapees, the 28-year-old remains at large.
Groves was one of ten inmates who crawled through a hole hidden behind a toilet and bolted from the New Orleans jail on May 16. The breakout, which relied on the help of a maintenance worker, has now led to one of the longest periods of freedom for an escapee in modern American history.
The nine escapees who have since been captured are now facing charges for felony escape on top of their original crimes, ranging from burglary to homicide, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Groves, who was convicted last year for gunning down two men with an assault rifle at a block party, continues to elude the police.
Federal officials have upped the pressure to find the escapee. The FBI, U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security, and Louisiana State Police are all reportedly pursuing leads, and a reward of up to $20,000 remains available for any information that leads to his arrest.
Groves’ ability to stay off the radar this long puts him in some rare company.
More than 90% of fugitives are recaptured within a year, per AP News. Most escapees, like Curtis Ray Watson in Tennessee or Antoine Massey, Groves’ fellow escapee who flaunted his run on social media, are caught within days. Jerry Lee Cooper, an inmate who escaped from the Brown County Detention Center in Ohio earlier this month, went viral for making it a week before getting re-arrested.
History shows that only a few escapees have managed to vanish for more than a few days, let alone months or years.
Still, the infamous Alcatraz escapees of 1962 were never officially found. And there are others, like Glen Stewart Godwin, who escaped from Folsom State Prison in 1987 – and another Mexican prison a few years later, who still remain on FBI wanted lists decades later. However, there does not seem to be a recorded American escapee from jail or prison within the last 25 years or more who has had a run as long as Groves.
The New Orleans jailbreak has already claimed careers and sparked some political fallout in Louisiana. Sheriff Susan Hutson suspended her reelection campaign after the debacle, only to restart it weeks later, while Gov. Jeff Landry ordered an extensive review of Louisiana’s corrections system.
Hutson, an outspoken proponent of DEI programs, did a public interview with WGNO News last week about her campaign for reelection as Sheriff, claiming she is one of the most “transparent” sheriffs in the country. However, her most current post on X, dated May 20, is still her campaign suspension letter.
“You’re not gonna have any sheriff in the state that has not had an escape,” Hutson said, almost downplaying the severity of the situation while not mentioning that Groves was still on the lam.
Hutson has not responded to an inquiry for comment from The Dallas Express as of the time of publication.
At least 16 people, including jail employees and family members, have been arrested for helping the inmates escape, per WWNO News. For the families of Groves’ victims, however, none of that matters as long as Groves remains free. Convicted of two murders and accused of several more, Groves was sentenced to life without parole.
There have been no new confirmed sightings of Groves in months. Law enforcement has previously suggested that he may still be hiding in New Orleans, but no evidence rules out the possibility that he could have left the state or country entirely.