Who Is Derrick Groves? What to Know About the Captured Inmate
How Derrick Groves Ended Up Being Captured In Atlanta
Published
Derrick Groves has had a troubled past, which has included a double-murder conviction, hard time, and an escape from jail.
The inmate was charged with serious crimes years ago -- and he's finally been taken back into custody after spending several months on the lam.
We're going to take a look into his background and see what led up to his eventual capture.
Derrick's Record Stretches Back to 2014
Groves got in trouble with the law back in 2014, when he was charged with attempted second-degree murder in Louisiana. He wound up beating the case, according to CNN.
Groves was later convicted in 2019 for killing two people with an AK-47-style assault rifle at a Mardi Gras Day party a year earlier. That case was later retried on a procedural technicality ... Groves was then found guilty again, on two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder, in 2024. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Before the 2024 verdict was delivered, Groves was charged with battery of a correctional facility employee in April that year, and he eventually pleaded guilty to the charge.
He Was One of 10 Escapees
Groves broke out of the Orleans Justice Center alongside nine other men in the early hours of May 16, according to NBC News.
Groves and the other escapees are accused of removing a toilet from a wall and crawling through a hole, scaling a fence and running across an interstate highway.
Various messages -- including taunts reading "To easy LOL" and "We Innocent" -- were written next to the escape hole.
Most of the escapees were apprehended within the month ... another was arrested in June. Several people have been accused of aiding the inmates' breakout.
Derrick Was Apprehended Following an Hours-Long Standoff
Groves was eventually caught at a residence in Atlanta, Georgia, in October 2025. The capture was coordinated by several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to ABC News.
Several tips were sent to Crimestoppers, and the Atlanta Police Department sent out a SWAT team to apprehend him.
Gas canisters were reportedly deployed, and Groves entered a crawl space in the house, where he was found by authorities.
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams described the Groves' escape as a major failure on the part of the jail's security.
