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Convicted murderer Derrick Groves eludes law enforcement as last New Orleans jail escapee on the run
Convicted murderer Derrick Groves eludes law enforcement as last New Orleans jail escapee on the run

New York Post

time09-07-2025

  • New York Post

Convicted murderer Derrick Groves eludes law enforcement as last New Orleans jail escapee on the run

Nearly two months after 10 inmates escaped from a New Orleans jail by crawling through a hole behind a toilet, authorities have recaptured all but the man with the most violent rap sheet: Derrick Groves. Following the May 16 jailbreak, law enforcement tracked down three escapees within 24 hours and most of the others within the next few weeks. While some of the fugitives roamed through nightlife hotspots and another made Instagram posts, Groves has so far kept a low profile. Advertisement 6 Derrick D. Groves, one of the inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail. AP The 28-year-old New Orleans native has the most at stake, authorities say. Last year, a jury convicted Groves of killing two people after he opened fire on a family block party with an assault rifle in what prosecutors said was a feud with rival drug dealers. Advertisement Groves faces life imprisonment without parole, but administrative delays have kept him in jail for years rather than a more secure prison facility. 'He's got nothing to lose,' said Forrest Ladd, an Orleans Parish assistant district attorney who prosecuted Groves. 'That's a dangerous thing from anybody, much less somebody capable of causing mass harm.' How likely is it Groves will be recaptured? More than 90% of people who escape from US correctional facilities are recaptured within a year, said Bryce Peterson, adjunct professor of criminal justice at John Jay College. 6 The Orleans Justice Center jail, left, in New Orleans is seen on Friday, May 16, 2025. AP Advertisement 'The longer you are out there, the more likely you are to stay out,' said Peterson, though he believes Groves will be caught eventually due to the high level of media attention. Most escapes occur when low-level offenders seize spontaneous opportunities, Peterson said. The New Orleans jailbreak stands out because of its level of 'sophistication and pre-planning' and the alleged roles current and former jail employees played in the escape, he added. How has Groves avoided law enforcement for so long? Multiple defense attorneys who have worked with Groves described him as intelligent and polite. Prosecutors in his cases say he is violent, manipulative and remorseless. 6 (L-R) Dkenan Dennis, Gary C Price, Robert Moody, Kendell Myles, Corey E Boyd. Bottom from left: Lenton Vanburen Jr, Jermaine Donald, Antonine T Massey, Derrick D. Groves, and Leo Tate Sr. AP Advertisement 'He's the worst human being I've ever come across in my life,' said Ladd, the Orleans Parish assistant district attorney. 'But he is a very charismatic, and I think that allows him the ability to kind of control people.' A former jail employee who became Groves' girlfriend during his incarceration is accused of helping him coordinate the escape in advance by arranging phone calls that avoided the jail's monitoring system. She is one of at least 16 people — many family members of the escapees — facing charges for providing transport, food, shelter and cash to the fugitives, most of whom stayed within New Orleans. Several days after the escape, authorities received information that Groves was hiding in the city's Lower Ninth Ward, the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged neighborhood where he grew up, according to court documents. State and federal authorities declined to provide details on Groves' suspected whereabouts. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges indicated he believes Groves is receiving assistance from friends or family. 'Sometimes we think we are incredibly close,' Hodges said during a June 27 news conference, adding that authorities would arrive at a location to find a fugitive 'just moved because they have help.' There is a $50,000 reward for tips leading to Groves' recapture. Advertisement 6 Residents watch as law enforcement search for a fugitive who escaped from a prison in New Orleans on May 21, 2025. AP Mistrust in the criminal justice system Likely impeding the search for Groves is widespread skepticism toward law enforcement from city residents following decades of abuse, often against the Black community. In 1994, a corrupt police officer ordered the killing of Groves' grandmother, Kim Groves, after she reported him for beating up a teenager. Her three children settled a federal civil rights lawsuit with the city for $1.5 million in 2018. 'For my family, it's been like reliving a constant nightmare,' Groves' aunt, Jasmine Groves, told WDSU, saying the family has been interrogated and remains under law enforcement surveillance. She has urged her nephew to turn himself in. Advertisement Groves' mother and aunt did not respond to The Associated Press' requests for comment for this story. 6 Groves in New Orleans on Oct. 24, 2019 during a court appearance related to a 2018 shooting that killed two people and injured others. AP In 2014, at the age of 17, Groves was arrested and incarcerated for nearly two years on a charge of attempted second-degree murder for which he was later acquitted by a jury, though his own father had testified against him, according to court records and a prosecutor in the case, Mike Trummel. Tom Shlosman, Groves' defense attorney in that case, said that Groves' prolonged incarceration as a teenager and his grandmother's murder likely undermined his faith in the criminal justice system. Shlosman remembered Groves as 'young and scared.' Advertisement 'None of that's going to affect a kid in any positive way,' Shlosman said. 'And it's certainly not going to instill trust in law enforcement.' A series of killings Groves, who goes by 'Woo,' dropped out of school in ninth grade and sold heroin in the Lower Ninth Ward for years, according to court records. The FBI began monitoring his social media while he was still a teenager, and Groves pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in 2019. 6 Law enforcement search for a fugitive that escaped a prison in New Orleans, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. AP Groves has been in jail since at least 2019, after his involvement in four killings during an 18-month period. Advertisement In October 2024, a jury convicted Groves of second-degree murder for using an assault rifle to spray dozens of bullets into a family block party on Mardi Gras, killing 21-year-old Byron Jackson and 26-year-old Jamar Robinson and wounding several others. Groves later pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in two separate shootings, according to the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office. Eyewitnesses in cases involving Groves have been threatened and physically attacked by him, and others were so intimidated they refused to testify against him, according to three current and former prosecutors and court records. In court, Robinson's aunt, Janis Robinson, said she had cried every night since her nephew died: 'I don't know how we are going to get through it.' In response, records show, Groves swore repeatedly at her in court.

Convicted murderer Derrick Groves eludes law enforcement as last New Orleans jail escapee on the run
Convicted murderer Derrick Groves eludes law enforcement as last New Orleans jail escapee on the run

Boston Globe

time09-07-2025

  • Boston Globe

Convicted murderer Derrick Groves eludes law enforcement as last New Orleans jail escapee on the run

Advertisement Groves faces life imprisonment without parole, but administrative delays have kept him in jail for years rather than a more secure prison facility. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'He's got nothing to lose,' said Forrest Ladd, an Orleans Parish assistant district attorney who prosecuted Groves. 'That's a dangerous thing from anybody, much less somebody capable of causing mass harm.' How likely is it Groves will be recaptured? More than 90% of people who escape from U.S. correctional facilities are recaptured within a year, said Bryce Peterson, adjunct professor of criminal justice at John Jay College. 'The longer you are out there, the more likely you are to stay out,' said Peterson, though he believes Groves will be caught eventually due to the high level of media attention. Most escapes occur when low-level offenders seize spontaneous opportunities, Peterson said. The New Orleans jailbreak stands out because of its level of 'sophistication and pre-planning' and the alleged roles current and former jail employees played in the escape, he added. Advertisement How has Groves avoided law enforcement for so long? Multiple defense attorneys who have worked with Groves described him as intelligent and polite. Prosecutors in his cases say he is violent, manipulative and remorseless. 'He's the worst human being I've ever come across in my life,' said Ladd, the Orleans Parish assistant district attorney. 'But he is a very charismatic, and I think that allows him the ability to kind of control people.' A former jail employee who became Groves' girlfriend during his incarceration is accused of helping him coordinate the escape in advance by arranging phone calls that avoided the jail's monitoring system. She is one of at least 16 people — many family members of the escapees — facing charges for providing transport, food, shelter and cash to the fugitives, most of whom stayed within New Orleans. Several days after the escape, authorities received information that Groves was hiding in the city's Lower Ninth Ward, the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged neighborhood where he grew up, according to court documents. State and federal authorities declined to provide details on Groves' suspected whereabouts. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges indicated he believes Groves is receiving assistance from friends or family. 'Sometimes we think we are incredibly close,' Hodges said during a June 27 news conference, adding that authorities would arrive at a location to find a fugitive 'just moved because they have help.' There is a $50,000 reward for tips leading to Groves' recapture. Mistrust in the criminal justice system Likely impeding the search for Groves is widespread skepticism toward law enforcement from city residents following decades of abuse, often against the Black community. In 1994, a corrupt police officer ordered the killing of Groves' grandmother, Kim Groves, after she reported him for beating up a teenager. Her three children settled a federal civil rights lawsuit with the city for $1.5 million in 2018. Advertisement 'For my family, it's been like reliving a constant nightmare,' Groves' aunt, Jasmine Groves, told WDSU, saying the family has been interrogated and remains under law enforcement surveillance. She has urged her nephew to turn himself in. Groves' mother and aunt did not respond to The Associated Press' requests for comment for this story. In 2014, at the age of 17, Groves was arrested and incarcerated for nearly two years on a charge of attempted second-degree murder for which he was later acquitted by a jury, though his own father had testified against him, according to court records and a prosecutor in the case, Mike Trummel. Tom Shlosman, Groves' defense attorney in that case, said that Groves' prolonged incarceration as a teenager and his grandmother's murder likely undermined his faith in the criminal justice system. Shlosman remembered Groves as 'young and scared.' 'None of that's going to affect a kid in any positive way,' Shlosman said. 'And it's certainly not going to instill trust in law enforcement.' A series of killings Groves, who goes by 'Woo,' dropped out of school in ninth grade and sold heroin in the Lower Ninth Ward for years, according to court records. The FBI began monitoring his social media while he was still a teenager, and Groves pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in 2019. Groves has been in jail since at least 2019, after his involvement in four killings during an 18-month period. In October 2024, a jury convicted Groves of second-degree murder for using an assault rifle to spray dozens of bullets into a family block party on Mardi Gras, killing 21-year-old Byron Jackson and 26-year-old Jamar Robinson and wounding several others. Advertisement Groves later pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in two separate shootings, according to the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office. Eyewitnesses in cases involving Groves have been threatened and physically attacked by him, and others were so intimidated they refused to testify against him, according to three current and former prosecutors and court records. In court, Robinson's aunt, Janis Robinson, said she had cried every night since her nephew died: 'I don't know how we are going to get through it.' In response, records show, Groves swore repeatedly at her in court.

Convicted murderer Derrick Groves eludes law enforcement as last New Orleans jail escapee on the run
Convicted murderer Derrick Groves eludes law enforcement as last New Orleans jail escapee on the run

Winnipeg Free Press

time09-07-2025

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Convicted murderer Derrick Groves eludes law enforcement as last New Orleans jail escapee on the run

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Nearly two months after 10 inmates escaped from a New Orleans jail by crawling through a hole behind a toilet, authorities have recaptured all but the man with the most violent rap sheet: Derrick Groves. Following the May 16 jailbreak, law enforcement tracked down three escapees within 24 hours and most of the others within the next few weeks. While some of the fugitives roamed through nightlife hotspots and another made Instagram posts, Groves has so far kept a low profile. The 28-year-old New Orleans native has the most at stake, authorities say. Last year, a jury convicted Groves of killing two people after he opened fire on a family block party with an assault rifle in what prosecutors said was a feud with rival drug dealers. Groves faces life imprisonment without parole, but administrative delays have kept him in jail for years rather than a more secure prison facility. 'He's got nothing to lose,' said Forrest Ladd, an Orleans Parish assistant district attorney who prosecuted Groves. 'That's a dangerous thing from anybody, much less somebody capable of causing mass harm.' How likely is it Groves will be recaptured? More than 90% of people who escape from U.S. correctional facilities are recaptured within a year, said Bryce Peterson, adjunct professor of criminal justice at John Jay College. 'The longer you are out there, the more likely you are to stay out,' said Peterson, though he believes Groves will be caught eventually due to the high level of media attention. Most escapes occur when low-level offenders seize spontaneous opportunities, Peterson said. The New Orleans jailbreak stands out because of its level of 'sophistication and pre-planning' and the alleged roles current and former jail employees played in the escape, he added. How has Groves avoided law enforcement for so long? Multiple defense attorneys who have worked with Groves described him as intelligent and polite. Prosecutors in his cases say he is violent, manipulative and remorseless. 'He's the worst human being I've ever come across in my life,' said Ladd, the Orleans Parish assistant district attorney. 'But he is a very charismatic, and I think that allows him the ability to kind of control people.' A former jail employee who became Groves' girlfriend during his incarceration is accused of helping him coordinate the escape in advance by arranging phone calls that avoided the jail's monitoring system. She is one of at least 16 people — many family members of the escapees — facing charges for providing transport, food, shelter and cash to the fugitives, most of whom stayed within New Orleans. Several days after the escape, authorities received information that Groves was hiding in the city's Lower Ninth Ward, the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged neighborhood where he grew up, according to court documents. State and federal authorities declined to provide details on Groves' suspected whereabouts. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges indicated he believes Groves is receiving assistance from friends or family. 'Sometimes we think we are incredibly close,' Hodges said during a June 27 news conference, adding that authorities would arrive at a location to find a fugitive 'just moved because they have help.' There is a $50,000 reward for tips leading to Groves' recapture. Mistrust in the criminal justice system Likely impeding the search for Groves is widespread skepticism toward law enforcement from city residents following decades of abuse, often against the Black community. In 1994, a corrupt police officer ordered the killing of Groves' grandmother, Kim Groves, after she reported him for beating up a teenager. Her three children settled a federal civil rights lawsuit with the city for $1.5 million in 2018. 'For my family, it's been like reliving a constant nightmare,' Groves' aunt, Jasmine Groves, told WDSU, saying the family has been interrogated and remains under law enforcement surveillance. She has urged her nephew to turn himself in. Groves' mother and aunt did not respond to The Associated Press' requests for comment for this story. In 2014, at the age of 17, Groves was arrested and incarcerated for nearly two years on a charge of attempted second-degree murder for which he was later acquitted by a jury, though his own father had testified against him, according to court records and a prosecutor in the case, Mike Trummel. Tom Shlosman, Groves' defense attorney in that case, said that Groves' prolonged incarceration as a teenager and his grandmother's murder likely undermined his faith in the criminal justice system. Shlosman remembered Groves as 'young and scared.' 'None of that's going to affect a kid in any positive way,' Shlosman said. 'And it's certainly not going to instill trust in law enforcement.' A series of killings Groves, who goes by 'Woo,' dropped out of school in ninth grade and sold heroin in the Lower Ninth Ward for years, according to court records. The FBI began monitoring his social media while he was still a teenager, and Groves pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in 2019. Groves has been in jail since at least 2019, after his involvement in four killings during an 18-month period. In October 2024, a jury convicted Groves of second-degree murder for using an assault rifle to spray dozens of bullets into a family block party on Mardi Gras, killing 21-year-old Byron Jackson and 26-year-old Jamar Robinson and wounding several others. Groves later pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in two separate shootings, according to the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office. Eyewitnesses in cases involving Groves have been threatened and physically attacked by him, and others were so intimidated they refused to testify against him, according to three current and former prosecutors and court records. In court, Robinson's aunt, Janis Robinson, said she had cried every night since her nephew died: 'I don't know how we are going to get through it.' In response, records show, Groves swore repeatedly at her in court. ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Your Personal Data May Be Exposed in a Future Data Breach. Here's What to Do About It Now
Your Personal Data May Be Exposed in a Future Data Breach. Here's What to Do About It Now

CNET

time07-07-2025

  • CNET

Your Personal Data May Be Exposed in a Future Data Breach. Here's What to Do About It Now

CNET/Getty Images Chances are your personal data has already been exposed in a data breach. If not, it almost certainly will at a later date because data breaches happen almost every day. I'm not trying to scare you, but it's important to be prepared. It's a topic I think about often as a cybersecurity and credit card editor for CNET. I'm not invulnerable to hackers' attempts either. Just the other day, I got a scam text telling me to click a link to secure my Coinbase account after the company suffered a cybersecurity incident. That means my phone number has already been exposed on the dark web in at least one data breach. In May, three major company data breaches occurred in a single week. User data was leaked from Coinbase and Steam along with login information for tech companies like Google and Meta. "Most people think that they're not going to be subject to a breach or some kind of identity theft situation or an impersonation. But the reality is far different from that," said Chelsea Binns, an associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a certified fraud examiner. We have no problem locking up our valuables in a safe so why not take that same approach with our data? "You wouldn't leave your Rolex watch on your front step," Binns said. "Yet people will have their bank account under 'password123,'" she said. You can't prevent a data breach, but you can lock down your data by signing up for identity theft protection. At minimum, you should be using strong passwords, two-factor authentication, antivirus software and avoid oversharing on social media. Failure to do this means you aren't just leaving your backdoor unlocked, you're holding the door open for criminals. And once they're in, they can do all sorts of things to make your life difficult. What can criminals do with my exposed data? Any information criminals obtain, whether from a breach or a lapse in security, can, and probably will, be used against you. "The question is, what can't they do?" Binns said. "They can really do anything that you can do because they're impersonating you. The possibilities are endless depending on the information that they've obtained." Some examples include opening credit cards in your name, buying a house or a car, or even using your health insurance. If a criminal were to get their hands on your private information, they're able to do anything you can do with it. And these aren't necessarily easy things to fix once they're out there. A criminal using a new line of credit can tank your credit score, which can take years to repair. A friend of mine had his identity stolen a few years ago and the thief bought a new car using my friend's name. The bank came after him instead of the criminals until he could verify that he never made the purchase. It took him a long time to get his credit score back up from the 300 it had dropped to. While criminals also conduct more elaborate schemes like synthetic identity theft, Binns added that they often simply sell your data to the highest bidder on the dark web. "It's the most profitable and just the easiest thing for them to do is flip it," she said. But the bad actors they sell it to could very well use it to open lines of credit, destroy your credit score and steal your money. How to improve your personal digital security You don't have to be perfect out of the gate. You can implement the snowball effect by starting with some easy changes. For example, have conversations with your family members to create secret passphrases to ensure they're talking with you, and not an imposter looking to steal personal information or money. There are other things you can start to do now to improve your security. Your future self will thank you in the event of a data breach or other exposure. Use complex, unique passwords If you're sharing certain details on social media, and people have your birthdate or the street you grew up on, chances are they have enough information to run a credential stuffing scam. That's when criminals brute-force your accounts, hoping that you've used the same passwords made up of your own personal information on multiple websites. Don't make it easy for them by having your bank and social account passwords be yourbirthday1234. Instead, consider either using a password manager to create complex passwords for you and save them or building unique passwords yourself. Use a mix of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Make it long and winding for the best defense. Freeze your credit reports Your credit reports should be frozen unless you're planning to apply for a line of credit. You can freeze your credit reports easily with each of the three credit bureaus, and this will stop anyone (including you) from taking out a credit card, mortgage or car loan. "You can freeze your own credit at absolutely no cost to you. Unless you're planning to buy a house tomorrow, doing something like that imminently, then there's no need to have it open," Binns said. You can even freeze your kid's credit to keep them safe. Share less information on social media Neal O'Farrell, a cybersecurity expert and founder of the Identity Theft Council, sums it up well: "Share less on social media and keep your accounts private," he said. He added, "If you're asked for personal information like your home address or date of birth, unless it's essential for the service or a legal requirement, use phony information. Facebook thinks I was born in 1906!" Before you post on Instagram or LinkedIn, consider what signals you're giving. Are you providing unnecessary details that could be used against you or your loved ones? For example, if you're traveling abroad and posting about it, a bad actor may target your grandparents or parents with a scam saying you're in a foreign prison or otherwise injured to pressure them into sending money. "Sharing information in real time, showing that you're on vacation and where you are, gives people material for their schemes and it makes it more believable," Binns said. At the very least, make sure your defenses are strong enough that you can share things and not have them provide a way into your accounts. Consider identity theft protection While ID theft protection and credit monitoring services aren't mandatory to keep you safe, Binns said they're worth it if they give you peace of mind. But she added that if your credit reports are frozen, you don't really need to have them monitored. Identity theft protection services can be helpful in the event your identity is stolen. Some provide identity restoration services and have identity theft insurance of up to $1 million. They can also monitor your bank accounts and provide free online security tools like password managers and antivirus protection. "While identity protection and credit monitoring have their limits," O'Farrell said, "I'd recommend considering using them if you can afford to. Many of the features they offer can be very helpful in either preventing or recovering from a crime." He also said these services can provide helpful reminders for the things we should all be doing regularly. That's checking your credit, updating your passwords and staying up to date on the latest scams.

How to blur your home on Google Maps
How to blur your home on Google Maps

News.com.au

time04-07-2025

  • News.com.au

How to blur your home on Google Maps

As homeowners invest in high-end locks, alarm systems and surveillance cameras to safeguard their properties. Some law enforcement officials say there's one overlooked measure that could help ward off burglars: obscuring their homes on Google Street View. While the feature has existed for years, a growing number of homeowners are now choosing to blur their houses in online map images to reduce digital exposure, the New York Post reports. It's an action authorities and crime experts suggest could help reduce the risk of becoming a target. Ryan Railsback, a police officer in Riverside, California, said he's seen some residents take this additional step. 'The crooks are looking for new and innovative ways to victimise people,' he told ABC News. 'It's good for the public to be aware of that and counter what the criminals are already doing.' Street View, a service of Google Maps, provides panoramic images captured by camera-equipped vehicles traversing public roads. While it offers convenience for everything from navigating new neighbourhoods to browsing real estate, it may also give criminals an easy way to scope out potential targets, experts say. Christopher Herrmann, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told ABC News that 'would-be thieves certainly want to scout their locations before they hit them,' using publicly available imagery to assess potential points of entry, spot visible cameras or alarms, and even identify valuable property visible from the street. For those looking to conceal their home on Street View, Google allows homeowners or tenants to request a permanent blur. Users can access the tool by locating their home on Google Maps, opening the Street View image, and clicking 'Report a problem' in the lower right corner. A short form allows users to specify the area they want blurred. According to Google, once applied, the blur cannot be reversed. 'We'll review your report as fast as we can,' Google states on its site. 'If you entered your email address in the form, we may contact you to get additional information or to update you on the status of your report.' Still, not everyone agrees that the tactic is foolproof. Some warn that having the only blurred home on a block could have unintended consequences, potentially signalling that the residents have something worth hiding.

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