A promising tip fizzles as the manhunt for a convicted killer and chronic escapee intensifies
A double murderer and a repeat escapee have managed to evade capture for almost two weeks – leading authorities to believe the fugitives could be anywhere.
As of early Wednesday, Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves were still on the run – 12 days after they and eight other inmates broke out of the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans.
The eight other fugitives have been caught – mostly in New Orleans. But two of the most recent arrests happened in Texas. Now, several states are involved in the manhunt for Massey and Groves.
A glimmer of hope emerged Tuesday when someone reported a possible sighting of Massey around 8:30 a.m. in Natchez, Mississippi, Police Chief Cal Green said, according to CNN affiliate WDSU. Natchez is in Adams County, about 135 miles north of New Orleans.
But that hope faded by Tuesday night. 'We do not believe that the suspect is in our area,' Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said, according to WDSU. 'That's not to say he wasn't here, but we are saying he is not here now.'
Massey was most recently charged with vehicle theft and domestic abuse involving strangulation, Orleans Parish records reveal.
But the 32-year-old has a long track record of escaping custody. In 2007, he broke out of a New Orleans juvenile detention center after being arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and aggravated assault, according to nola.com.
A broken lock at the detention center allowed Massey, then 15, and five other juveniles to access metal shackles, which they used to shatter a window and escape, nola.com reported. Massey stayed on the run for more than two weeks before authorities found him on an interstate in east New Orleans.
Massey has also cut off electronic ankle monitors twice, said Matt Dennis, an employee with the company that operates the monitors, according to WDSU. Court records from late 2023 say Massey had 'tampered and/or removed the court-ordered GPS monitor.'
Dennis said he was 'astonished' that someone with Massey's escape history was being held on the first floor of the New Orleans jail – a floor that had defective door locks.
'There isn't an ounce of this man's history that doesn't say 'escape,'' Dennis told CNN affiliate WVUE.
Groves, 27, was convicted of murdering two men on Mardi Gras 2018.
Groves was found to be one of the gunmen who opened fire with AK-47-style assault rifles 'on what should have been a joyous Mardi Gras family gathering,' the district attorney's office said.
Groves was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, charges that carry a life sentence, the district attorney said.
Authorities have 'a lot of leads' and are getting tips from the community, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said Tuesday.
'It's vitally important that we catch these fugitives, whether it's Arkansas, whether it's Louisiana. But it's also critically important that we know how they got out and who helped them get out, and we can't wait until they're in custody to do that,' Williams said.
'My office, the digital forensics team, has been scouring through hours and hours of jail calls using some AI software to figure out who they were in contact with the night before, hours before, to figure out where they may have been heading,' Williams said. 'Their circle is tightening, as people who are assisting are being arrested.'
CNN's Karina Tsui, Matt Rehbein, Chris Lau and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.
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