It was just another quiet afternoon on a tucked-away street in Hollygrove. Lawn mowers buzzed. Neighbors chatted. And then sirens. Dozens of unmarked vehicles rolled in, surrounding a cozy Airbnb. Within minutes, Antoine Massey, one of Louisiana’s most wanted fugitives, was in custody ending a 43-day manhunt that’s gripped New Orleans and beyond.
“It’s quite shocking,”
observed the bewildered owner of the rental home, whom we interviewed confidentially.
“This is a quiet neighborhood. I didn’t see anything unusual. They didn’t even tell me they were coming. A friend called me it was all over the news. That’s how I found out.”
The surprise raid was carried out by a joint task force involving U.S. Marshals, NOPD, FBI, Louisiana State Police, and DHS. Massey, 33, didn’t resist. The arrest happened around 3:30 p.m. on June 27, after a tipster alerted Sheriff Susan Hutson’s office that the fugitive might be holed up at the short-term rental. By nightfall, Massey was airlifted to the maximum-security Angola State Prison.
Massey wasn’t just any fugitive. He was one of ten inmates who pulled off a now-infamous jailbreak from Orleans Parish Jail on May 16. Using faulty cell locks and a busted toilet-sink unit, the inmates carved out an escape route through a maintenance tunnel and over barbed wire fences. Before vanishing, someone scrawled graffiti on the wall:
“To Easy LOL.”
Aiding them? A civilian jail worker, Trevon Williams, allegedly shut off the cell’s water lines, unconsciously paving the way for their escape. It took police over eight hours to find anyone missing.
Sheriff Hutson faced immediate backlash. The escape exposed glaring security flaws broken locks, outdated infrastructure, and a slow response system. Over a dozen people, including jail staff and friends of the escapees, have since been arrested for helping the fugitives.
Massey, with a long rap sheet including domestic abuse, kidnapping, and auto theft was no stranger to escapes. He fled juvenile detention in 2007 and Morehouse Parish Jail in 2019. Earlier this June, he even posted videos on social media claiming he was “let out,” calling himself innocent and appealing to celebrities like Lil Wayne and Donald Trump.
Authorities raided one of the homes featured in his videos, seizing clothing and electronics. But it wasn’t until an anonymous tip came in that police closed in this time quietly, to avoid tipping him off.
“They went in, got him peacefully, and got out just as fast,”
a reporter on the scene explained.
“Even the Airbnb owner wasn’t informed. It had to be surgical.”
While Massey’s capture is a huge win, one man remains on the run Derrick Groves. The 27-year-old convicted double murderer was last seen on the night of the escape, caught on surveillance with Massey. Since then, it’s been radio silence.
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Groves is no small-time criminal. Convicted in 2024 for a 2018 Mardi Gras Day double murder, he’s also the grandson of Kim Groves, whose 1994 killing by a corrupt NOPD officer sparked national outrage. Authorities believe he’s still somewhere in Louisiana.
“We’ve received over 1,200 tips,”
said FBI Special Agent Lyonel Myrthil.
“We’re not slowing down.”
His girlfriend, Darriana Burton, is already in custody, charged with aiding his escape. Her bond? A whopping $2.5 million.
Back at the Orleans Justice Center, change is underway. Razor wire now tops fences. Cell locks are being replaced. But criticism of Sheriff Hutson remains loud. The public wants answers and accountability.
Meanwhile, the Hollygrove community is still in disbelief.
“I don’t know what to think,”
the Airbnb owner added.
“I’m frustrated. Shocked. They say all this is happening at my property, and I get there, and I don’t even see a cop.”