NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – U.S. Marshals have arrested 28-year-old Darriana Burton, the girlfriend of escaped inmate Derrick Groves, for her alleged role in the May 16 jailbreak at the Orleans Justice Center.
Burton, a former recruit with the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, was wanted on a felony charge of conspiracy to commit simple escape, issued by the Attorney General’s Office. Authorities say she played an “intentional and active” role in planning the escape and may have transported at least one inmate afterward.
Groves, a convicted killer linked to four homicides, and fellow escapee Antoine Massey, wanted for rape and kidnapping, are still at large. They are the final two escapees of a group of 10 who broke out by exploiting a faulty cell door and a hole behind a toilet.
According to investigators, Burton joined Groves on video calls from jail just two days before the escape, during which she held up a second device allowing him to speak with an unknown man. During the second call, the man warned of the “manhunt” the escape might trigger, but Burton was allegedly already facilitating the plan.
Burton was also reportedly seen in a car with Lenton Vanburen, another escapee later recaptured. She allegedly dropped Vanburen off at a location where his sisters picked him up, eventually helping him flee to Mississippi.
This isn’t Burton’s first brush with the law. In 2023, she was arrested for bringing contraband into the jail—a knife, synthetic marijuana, and tobacco hidden in a Cheetos bag. Those charges were later dropped.
Authorities continue the nationwide search for Groves and Massey, urging the public to come forward with any tips.
