Authorities have apprehended Derrick Groves, the 27-year-old inmate who was among 10 prisoners who escaped from a jail in New Orleans, earlier this year. He had been on the run since May 16 when police caught him at a residence in Atlanta. He is the last member of the group to have evaded capture, according to CNN.
District Attorney Jason Williams addressed Groves' capture in a statement on Wednesday. "Groves’ escape represented a serious breach of public safety and a historic failure of custodial security. His capture brings long-awaited calm to victims, their families, the witnesses who testified, the assistant district attorneys who prosecuted him and the people of New Orleans who were rightly concerned that a convicted violent offender had escaped so easily and evaded justice for so long," he said, as caught by Fox 8.
He continued: "We will pursue every available legal avenue to ensure that Derrick Groves answers for every crime he has committed and every consequence he has sought to avoid. On behalf of My Office and the citizens of New Orleans, I’d like to thank United States Marshal Brian Fair and the members of the Marshals Service, authorities in Atlanta, and every agency and individual who played a role and shared information to lead to this arrest."
Why Was Derrick Groves In Prison?
A jury previously found Groves guilty on two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder. The charges stemmed from a shooting at a Mardi Gras celebration in 2018. He was serving a life sentence.
Attorney General Liz Murrill also put out a statement on the apprehension of Derrick Groves. She wrote: “Convicted murderer Derrick Groves has finally been recaptured in Atlanta after a brief stand-off. He now faces charges for his role in the escape and I will ensure that he is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Excellent work by all our law enforcement partners who have been working so hard for this outcome the past few months. I especially want to thank my investigators with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (LBI) for their work in this case.”
