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The past inmate caught aft an audacious New Orleans jailbreak was sentenced Friday to 2 beingness sentences implicit a 2018 treble murder, with the Louisiana justice rebuking him for the disruption caused by his 5 months connected the run.
Derrick Groves, 28, wore shackles and an orangish jumpsuit successful a New Orleans courtroom, 2 months aft investigators tracked him down and captured him beneath a location successful Atlanta. Groves and 9 different inmates escaped successful May by crawling done a spread down a jailhouse toilet, leaving down graffiti that work "To Easy LoL."
Derrick Groves was taken into custody aft a standoff involving a SWAT squad successful southwest Atlanta.
Courtesy of the Atlanta Police Department
A assemblage past twelvemonth convicted Groves of 2 counts of second-degree execution for sidesplitting Jamar Robinson and Byron Jackson successful a shooting astatine a Mardi Gras enactment successful 2018. He besides pleaded blameworthy past twelvemonth to manslaughter successful 2 fatal shootings successful a abstracted case.
Groves' flight caused "concern, disappointment, vexation and displeasure" to the court, said Orleans Parish Judge Dennis Waldron. The justice said the killings compounded calamity already endured by Groves' family, noting that successful 1994 a corrupt New Orleans constabulary serviceman ordered the sidesplitting of his grandmother, Kim Groves, aft she reported constabulary misconduct.
"He chose to not grant the representation of his grandma arsenic she laic successful that thoroughfare successful the Ninth Ward, changeable to death," Waldron said. "He made that conscious determination to spell the different mode and to kill, not once, not twice, not 3 times, but 4 times."
Kadija Jackson, the sister of 1 of the victims, said she sends photos of him to his girl truthful the miss tin amusement friends she erstwhile had a father. Jackson recalled uncovering her member dying wrong a car aft Groves fired an AK-style rifle.
"He lifted his head, but heavy down, I knew helium wasn't going to marque it," she said, sobbing. "That infinitesimal shattered thing wrong me. Since that time my beingness has felt similar it is missing a portion that it felt it could ne'er replace."
As she spoke, Groves smirked and nodded from the defence table, and aboriginal turned to look astatine her and the different victims' supporters from crossed the courtroom.
Peter Freiberg, Groves' attorney, said his lawsuit maintains his innocence and plans to entreaty his convictions, portion expressing sympathy for the victims' families.
Derrick Groves sits successful a constabulary conveyance aft being taken into custody by U.S. Marshals and Atlanta constabulary astatine a southwest Atlanta location connected Oct. 8, 2025.
Ben Hendren/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP
The judge, however, said Groves showed nary remorse and the metropolis would beryllium acold safer with him imprisoned for life. In summation to the 2 beingness sentences, Groves was convicted of 2 counts of attempted execution for wounding others successful the 2018 shooting. Waldron imposed 2 50-year sentences for those convictions, stacked onto the beingness terms.
The justice besides referenced video of Groves smiling and blowing kisses portion being led distant aft his seizure successful Georgia.
"It is astir arsenic if Mr. Groves thought helium were a impermanent astatine a statesmanlike motorcade arsenic opposed to a captured fugitive, riding successful a constabulary SWAT convoy," Waldron said. "These actions whitethorn beryllium considered a last enactment of defiance."
Final Louisiana escaped inmate detained
Escaped inmate blew a buss and smiled arsenic helium was detained for fleeing prison
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