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1 of final 2 New Orleans jail escapees recaptured, authorities say

One of the final two escapees from a New Orleans jailbreak last month has been recaptured after six weeks on the run, authorities said Friday.

Antoine Massey is in custody, the U.S. Marshals Service has confirmed.

Antoine Massey is shown in this undated booking photo released by the Louisiana State Police.

Louisiana State Police

Massey was among 10 inmates who escaped from the Orleans Justice Center on May 16, according to Louisiana State Police.

Earlier this month, Louisiana authorities were investigating a video circulating online that appeared to show Massey pleading to rappers and President Donald Trump to help him while he was still on the run.

Derrick Groves, the other escapee, remains at large. He was convicted last year of two counts of second-degree murder in a 2018 Mardi Gras Day shooting and faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said. Unrelated to that case, he also subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter, online court records show.

His girlfriend, Darriana Burton, was arrested this month for allegedly helping Groves escape, authorities said. She allegedly had an “active involvement in the planning phase of the escape,” according to the affidavit for her arrest warrant, including relaying “escape-related information” and coordinating communications between Groves and people outside the jail.

Derrick Groves is shown in this undated booking photo released by the Louisiana State Police.

Louisiana State Police

Authorities had increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of Massey and Groves to $50,000 per inmate last month, as police said at the time that they believed they were closing in on the “dangerous” fugitives.

The 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center in the early morning hours of May 16 after climbing through a hole behind a toilet. Their disappearance was not noticed for several hours and touched off a massive manhunt.

PHOTO: Ten inmates, including accused murderers, escape New Orleans jail

A screen grab taken from a handout CCTV video shows inmates running through the loading dock at the Orleans Parish Justice Center, in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., May 16, 2025.

Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office/via Reuters

Burton is one of over a dozen people who have been arrested on suspicion of helping the escapees, including another inmate in the jail and a jail maintenance worker who is accused of shutting off water to the toilet allowing escapees to remove it.

Three of the 10 inmates who escaped were apprehended in New Orleans within the first 24 hours of the jailbreak. The others were captured in the following days, including in Baton Rouge and Texas.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.


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