2 captured, 8 remain at large following an escape from Orleans jail in overnight breach

BREAKING UPDATE: According to the Sheriff’s Office, police have captured Robert Moody.

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center just after midnight early Friday (May 16) morning, exploiting facility vulnerabilities and possibly aided from the inside, officials say.

As of Friday afternoon, only one inmate has been recaptured.

The escape was discovered during an 8:30 a.m. headcount, over eight hours after the inmates yanked open a cell door, removed a toilet, and navigated through a maintenance area. From there, officials say they entered a hallway, exited through a supply door, scaled a wall, and crossed I-10 in their orange jumpsuits. Ditched clothing was found in the nearby neighborhood.

At least one witness reportedly saw multiple inmates fleeing across the interstate.

Fox 8 obtained a photo of the escape route inside the jail, revealing a hole in the wall behind a toilet. Graffiti scribbled around the wall read, “Too Easy LOL,” “Catch us when you can,” and “Most Hated 9,” among profanity.

A law enforcement source shared a photo of a hole in the wall of the Orleans jail where 11 inmates reportedly escaped.(WVUE)

11 inmates escaped from a hole in the wall of a cell at Orleans Parish jail on Friday, May 16.(OPSO)

Timeline of Events

12:20 a.m.: Escape occurred.
1:00 a.m.: Inmates seen running across I-10.
8:30 a.m.: Escape discovered during headcount.
9:00 a.m.: Sheriff Susan Hutson says she was notified.
10:15 a.m.: Fox 8 receives tip from source.
10:18 a.m.: OPSO confirms escape to media.
10:30 a.m.: NOPD receives statewide alert.
10:50 a.m.: NOPD notifies public.
11:00 a.m.: OPSO holds first news conference. First inmate, Kendell Myles, captured in French Quarter.
11:30 a.m.: NOPD holds press conference; Chief Anne Kirkpatrick criticizes delay in public notification.

The Escapees

Derrick Groves – Convicted of double murder in a 2018 Mardi Gras mass shooting. Officials warn he may seek out witnesses from his trial.
Corey Boyd – Accused of second-degree murder in the 2023 shooting of Brandon Fees during a car burglary.
Jermaine Donald – Facing second-degree murder and aggravated battery charges.
Gary Price – Held for attempted first-degree murder.
Kendell Myles – Recaptured Friday. Has a history of escape and was previously accused of shooting a man in Uptown.
Antoine Massey – History of escapes dating back to 2007. Currently held for domestic abuse, theft, parole violation, kidnapping, and rape.
Lenton Venburen – Held for firearm possession and parole violation. Also accused of a 2021 murder.
Leo Tate – Booked with burglary, weapons possession..
Robert Moody – Facing charges for obstruction of justice, drug trafficking, and battery.
Dkenan Dennis – Held for armed robbery and weapons charges.

An eleventh man, Keith Lewis, was originally misidentified as one of the escapees. OPSO later clarified he had been moved to another unit within the jail.

Sheriff Hutson said plumbing panels and the toilet used in the escape could only be removed from the outside, fueling suspicion of internal assistance. An internal investigation is underway, and the jail remains on full lockdown.

10 inmates escaped from a hole in the wall of a cell at Orleans Parish jail on Friday, May 16.(OPSO)

11 inmates escaped from a hole in the wall of a cell at Orleans Parish jail on Friday, May 16.(OPSO)

Three employees have been placed on suspension.

Hutson blamed, in part, defective doors and locks in need of upgrades. In surveillance video provided by the sheriff’s office, inmates were seen yanking open a cell door before getting inside the cell and ultimately escaping.

Officials also acknowledged that high-risk inmates were being housed in minimum-security conditions. Staffing levels at the jail are at 60%, Hutson said. The detainees were housed in this particular unit due to ongoing renovations on their previous unit, which included the installation of new locks.

Of the two employees who monitor the pod the inmates were housed in, one was not physically there, and the second had stepped away to grab food, the sheriff’s office said.

“We acknowledge there were lapses in security,” Hutson’s office said in a statement.

Approximately one-third of the security cameras throughout the facility are currently inoperable.

Political response

Attorney General Liz Murrill said, “Someone clearly dropped the ball and there’s no excuse for this.” She called for a full investigation, saying she wants to know if any jail staff or outsiders were complicit.

New Orleans City Council members also expressed outrage.

Council President Helena Moreno called the lack of immediate notification to the public and law enforcement “almost like malfeasance in office.”

Councilman Oliver Thomas said, “This rivals some of the worst things that have happened at the jail since 1937.”

Councilman Eugene Green said he has “extreme confidence in NOPD,” and urged transparency in the investigation.

New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams called the escape “a complete failure of the most basic responsibilities entrusted to a sheriff or jail administrator.”

“Some of the individuals who escaped are among the most dangerous held in that facility,” Williams said. “Our office has vigorously prosecuted these offenders for their involvement in murders and other violent crimes. Some of these inmates have a history of witness intimidation of citizens who were brave enough to speak up.”

One inmate captured

Myles was located beneath a car in a parking garage at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter. A source tells Fox 8 that Myles was spotted in the area using facial recognition technology on a Project NOLA camera.

Myles was previously accused of escaping the Bridge City Center for youth and shooting 59-year-old Scott Toups in Uptown. His case was tossed in February 2023 after the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office missed a deadline.

Massey also has a history of escapes.

Groves is the only escapee convicted of his crimes. He fatally shot two people in a 2018 mass shooting on Mardi Gras in the Lower 9th Ward.

Victims frustrated

Fox 8 spoke with the mother and father of two different victims. Fox 8 will not release the names of the family members, the victims, or associated escapees due to safety concerns.

The mother told Fox 8 she and her family have fled New Orleans out of fear for their safety. She said they don’t have a place to go.

“My baby is scared. He’s afraid. He won’t let my hand go. He tells me, he says ‘Mimi, why is bad guys is out here?’ I can’t explain to him and tell him why because I don’t know,” she said.

She expressed her frustration with the jail deputies.

“Every deputy that’s in there, I hold them responsible. Where were they? Where were they? What were they doing in order for them to escape like that? It’s like we’re in jail now because we don’t know where to go, or what to do,” she said.

The father said there should be a change in leadership.

“I would tell (Hutson) resign. Really, I would tell her resign, she’s not doing her job,” he said.

He described the escape as “mind-blowing.”

The mother said the only thing the jail can do for her is recapture the escapee. The mother and father say OPSO did not alert either of them to the escapes.

Sheriff Hutson says when the time is right, her team will “determine what went right and what went wrong.” In the meantime, she urges the public to remain calm but alert. “If you see something that’s not right, don’t hesitate. Call 911,” she said.

Authorities are warning that harboring any of the remaining escapees will result in criminal charges.

The FBI is assisting with the search for the escapees. A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for tips leading to the recapture of any of the inmates.

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