Reports circulating on social media suggest that convicted murderer and recent escapee Derrick Groves has not yet been processed into Louisiana’s prison system because fans are allegedly flooding phone lines at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola.
The claim began spreading around October 16, 2025, originating from posts tied to a “Justice for Derrick Groves” social media account that purports to be run by someone close to the 28-year-old. According to the posts, the volume of calls from Groves’ supporters to Angola prison has overwhelmed staff and “temporarily interfered” with his intake process.
However, neither the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections officials nor the Angola prison representatives have confirmed any such disruption. As of Friday morning, the department had not responded to multiple media requests for comment regarding Groves’ current status in the prison system.
Groves was one of ten inmates who staged a dramatic jailbreak from the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans on May 16, 2025. Authorities said the group pried open a cell door, removed a toilet, and squeezed through a hole in the wall before leaving behind graffiti reading “To Easy LoL.”
While nine fugitives were recaptured within weeks, Groves eluded capture for nearly five months. He was finally arrested on October 8 after a SWAT standoff in southwest Atlanta. Officers found him hiding in a crawl space, deploying multiple gas canisters before taking him into custody.
Groves had been serving a life sentence without parole after his October 2024 conviction on two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder stemming from a 2018 Mardi Gras shooting. Prosecutors said he and another man opened fire with AK-47-style rifles at a block party, killing two people and critically injuring two others.
After waiving extradition in Georgia, Groves was flown back to Louisiana on October 9 and is now facing additional escape-related charges, including aggravated and simple escape. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has stated that prosecutors may seek to upgrade those charges due to the discovery of weapons and narcotics at the Atlanta residence where he was apprehended.
“Every available legal avenue will be pursued,” Murrill said in a prior statement, emphasizing that the state intends to hold Groves fully accountable for his escape and the crimes for which he was originally convicted.
The other nine escapees from the May jailbreak are currently being held at Angola.
Despite his violent criminal record, Groves has drawn a surprising degree of online sympathy. Several social media users expressed disappointment at his recapture, while others condemned the show of support for a man convicted of killing two people.
The “Justice for Derrick Groves” movement has since become a focal point for controversy, with critics arguing that such campaigns distort the reality of violent crime and glorify offenders.
The current rumors about fans interfering with Angola’s operations—whether true or not—underscore a growing cultural phenomenon in which convicted criminals gain cult-like followings online, often fueled by social media narratives detached from official records or court documents.
For now, officials have not publicly addressed Groves’ exact housing location or whether his processing has been delayed. Until verified by state authorities, the claims remain unsubstantiated.
