“TOO EASY LOL”: 5 Fugitives Still Loose After New Orleans Jailbreak

Summary

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield

Episode: “TOO EASY LOL”: 5 Fugitives Still Loose After New Orleans Jailbreak
Release Date: May 23, 2025

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1. Introduction to the New Orleans Jailbreak

In this riveting episode of Drop Dead Serious, host Ashleigh Banfield delves into a shocking jailbreak that unfolded at the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans. Banfield sets the stage by describing the audacious escape of ten inmates, five of whom remain at large as of the recording date. She emphasizes the brazen nature of the breakout, highlighting its almost comedic audacity:

“Ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish justice center, and five of them are still on the loose as of this recording. They are somewhere out there.”
[00:00]

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2. The Mechanics of the Escape

Ashleigh recounts the unconventional method the inmates employed to flee custody. At approximately 1:01 AM on May 17, ten inmates orchestrated their escape by unbolting a toilet and crawling through a hole in the back wall of their cell. Banfield paints a vivid picture of the escape route:

“They unbolted a toilet, they crawl out through the back wall... behind the toilet, there was a hole, a big, square hole in the wall.”
[00:00]

The inmates left taunting messages such as "Too Easy, LOL" and "the opjc, the Orleans Parish Justice Center" above the hole, signaling their success. They navigated through a maintenance passage to the jail’s loading dock, where they made their dramatic exit, including a notable incident where one inmate fell while seemingly carrying a blanket—later revealed to have been used to tamper with barbed wire, making their escape path less hazardous.

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3. Profiles of the Escaped Fugitives

The episode provides detailed profiles of the escaped inmates, emphasizing the severity of their charges. Many of these individuals were accused of violent crimes, including murder, attempted murder, rape, and kidnapping. As of May 22, five remain free:

• Antoine Massey
• Leo Tate
• Jermaine Donald
• Van Buren
• Derrick Groves

Banfield underscores the danger these fugitives pose:

“These were violent offenders... charged with second-degree murder.”
[00:05]

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4. Immediate Aftermath and Recapture Efforts

Of the ten escapees, five have been apprehended within a short timeframe and within close proximity to the jail—none ventured far, increasing their likelihood of re-incarceration:

• Kendall Miles was found hiding under a car in the French Quarter mere hours after the escape.
• Robert Moody and Gary Price were captured shortly thereafter.
• Corey Boyd and De Kenan Dennis were apprehended after six days on the run.

Banfield criticizes the inmates' apparent lack of strategy:

“Like, if that was me, I would not be hanging out within 10 miles at the jail.”
[00:04]

She highlights the ongoing threat posed by the remaining five fugitives, urging the public to remain vigilant.

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5. Systemic Failures and Sheriff’s Response

The episode shifts focus to the systemic issues that facilitated the jailbreak. Sheriff Susan Hudson attributed the escape to “defective locks and doors” and a compromised surveillance system—one-third of the cameras were non-operational, including those in the escape pod.

“The jail had faulty locks and broken doors and also dead cameras.”
[00:08]

Furthermore, the facility was severely overcrowded, housing over 1,400 inmates in a space designed for 900, a situation exacerbated by consistent budget cuts from the city council. The governor of Louisiana has since called for a comprehensive investigation and the relocation of inmates.

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6. Inside Involvement and Accomplices

A significant revelation in the episode is the likelihood that the jailbreak was facilitated by an insider. Sterling Williams, a maintenance worker at the jail, is accused of aiding the escape by disabling the water system to remove the toilet without raising immediate alarms.

“Sterling has a story. He says the inmates told him that they would shank him if he did not do as they asked.”
[00:10]

Additionally, three women—Courtney Harris, Corvante Baptiste, and Connie Weeden—were arrested for assisting the fugitives post-escape. Their involvement ranged from driving inmates around the city to providing food and financial assistance, indicating a network of support that enabled the escapees to evade immediate capture.

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7. Expert Insights on Prison Breaks

To provide deeper context, Banfield brings in former federal inmate Larry Levine, who shares his expertise on prison systems and the dynamics that can lead to such breaches. Levine discusses the manipulation tactics inmates may use to coerce staff into facilitating escapes:

“Inmates will offer staff all kinds of things to get what they want.”
[09:13]

He references high-profile cases, such as Joyce Mitchell from the Escape at Dannemora saga, illustrating how inmates often exploit personal relationships within the facility to orchestrate their plans. Levine also speculates on the motivations and planning behind Sterling Williams' involvement, suggesting that the escape was meticulously planned rather than a spur-of-the-moment decision.

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8. Conclusion and Public Safety Advisory

In her closing remarks, Ashleigh Banfield issues a stern warning to the New Orleans community:

“If you happen to be in the New Orleans area, lock your doors. And if you know something, don't play vigilante. Call the tip line. Let the pros handle it.”
[12:00]

Emphasizing the severity of the situation, Banfield urges listeners to stay cautious and report any sightings of the fugitives to authorities, reinforcing the message that these individuals are far more dangerous than typical criminals.

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Final Thoughts

Ashleigh Banfield's detailed exploration of the New Orleans jailbreak sheds light on the complexities of prison security, the vulnerabilities within the system, and the ripple effects of such high-profile escapes. Through firsthand accounts, expert interviews, and a thorough breakdown of the incidents, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by law enforcement in containing dangerous criminals and the critical need for systemic reforms.

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Note: Timestamps are approximate and correspond to the segments within the provided transcript.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, everybody, I'm Ashley Banfield, and this is Drop Dead Serious. And in this episode, we're digging into a jailbreak in New Orleans that's so outrageous, it sounds like a comedy sketch. Ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish justice center, and five of them are still on the loose as of this recording. They are somewhere out there. And wait until you hear how they pulled off the jailbreak, because this wasn't just bold, it was reckless, brazen, and honestly, it was completely avoidable. And now, five dangerous inmates roaming freely about the cabin after slipping out of custody in the middle of the night. And it's really nothing short of a miracle that no one's been killed. But how did this even happen? Let's rewind to 1:01am On Friday, May 17, all 10 inmates slip out of this city jail. It is not a county lockup. It is not a juvie hall. We are talking about one of the biggest jails in Louisiana. And how did they do it? They unbolted a toilet and they crawled out through the back wall. And by the way, if you're new to the podcast, you probably know that Atlas, my goldendoodle, freely roams about this cabin. He's always in the studio, and every so often, you'll hear him panting and you'll hear him crunching because I give him milk bones. I like the ASMR part of Atlas crunching on the mic. Anyway, so these guys unbolt a toilet, they crawl out through the back wall. A toilet, yes. I am also getting the Shawshank vibes. But behind the toilet, there was a hole, a big, square hole in the wall. And above that square hole in the wall, they left behind a few choice messages for their jailers, like, Too Easy, lol, and the opjc, the Orleans Parish Justice Center. Right? From there, they wiggled their way into a maintenance passage and made their way to the jail's loading dock, seemingly jumping off of that loading dock completely on camera. From there, they scaled a wall and they sprinted across the interstate. And by the way, you may have noticed that the guy who fell while he was jumping off the loading dock looked like he was carrying a blanket or something like that, right? And I was thinking to myself, what in the world does he want that for? Like, is it a souvenir from the jail? Why would he take a blanket with him when he's running for his life? And as it turns out, they might have actually used that blanket to toss it over the barbed wire to make it, you know, a little less scratchy. When you try to get over barbed wire. Because the jailers did say that they'd used a blanket to cover up the barbed wire when they scaled over it. And all during this, nobody noticed they were gone for seven and a half hours. And why is that? Apparently because the civilian monitor who was tasked with watching these guys watching their pod apparently got up to go and grab a snack. And by the time the next head count happened over seven hours later, at 8:30 in the morning, the 10 men presumed armed and dangerous were long gone. So let's talk about who escaped. At least three of them were charged with murder. Others were in on attempted murder and rape and kidnapping charges. These weren't low level drug cases, guys. These were violent, violent offenders. And some of them awaiting charges for very violent offenses. And as of this recording, on May 22nd, five of these inmates are back in lockup after being caught. Get this, within 10 miles of the jail. Talk about not really making a break for it. Like, if that was me, I would not be hanging out within 10 miles at the jail. Right. Because chances are you're going back in and it could be for life. Kendall Miles was found hiding under a car in the French Quarter within a few hours of the jail. Realizing that the group was gone, Robert Moody also nabbed pretty quickly. Corey Boyd was caught after six days on the run. Gary Price was hauled in just after Boyd. And De Kenan Dennis was captured soon after that. But here's the real headline. 5 desperate and dangerous guys are walking among us. And the only thing between their freedom and going back to a possible lifetime in lockup is is the person who tries to catch them or calls the police or turns them in. So, yeah, desperate times can call for pretty desperate measures. And that's why I say steer clear of these guys. If you see them, they include Antoine Massey, Leo Tate, Jermaine, Donald Lenten Van Buren, and Derrick Groves. And some of this group again charged with second degree murder. And it gets a whole lot crazier because at first the sheriff's office didn't have any answers as to how these inmates escaped through a hole behind a toilet in the first place. The sheriff is Sheriff Susan Hudson, and she blamed the whole thing on, quote, defective locks and doors. Stop. Defective locks and doors in a prison. Aren't the only things holding the people in the prison, the locks on the doors. But that's right, the jail had faulty locks and broken doors and also dead cameras. We find out that a third of the surveillance system was actually down, including three cameras in the exact pod where the breakout Happened. The sheriff says it's because the budgets for the jail are consistently being cut by city council. And she's not kidding. They're now housing over 1400 inmates in a facility only staffed to house 900. And that's a whole other issue. In fact, the governor of Louisiana is now calling for the entire inmate population to be moved and for a full blown investigation. But like I said, here's the crazy part. While those five inmates are still on the loose, dodging the FBI and dodging the US Marshals, we're now learning that this whole escape was likely an inside job. Yep, you heard me. A guy on the inside. Enter Sterling Williams, a jail maintenance worker who is now in jail himself and not allowed to go home at night, you know, for dinner and sleeping. He is now accused of turning off the water so that the toilet could be yanked off the wall without causing a massive flood. The that would alert the authorities a whole lot sooner. And Sterling has a story. He says the inmates told him that they would shank him if he did not do as they asked. And he's not the only one, apparently, who's in big trouble for these guys busting out. Two women, Courtney Harris and Corvante Baptiste, were arrested for helping the inmates once they got out. Harris allegedly drove two fugitives around the city, and cops say Baptiste brought food to Corey Boyd while he was holed up in a house. And just as I am recording this podcast, a third woman has been arrested and hauled in. Connie Weeden. According to investigators from Slide, Louisiana, she was in contact by phone, they say, with inmate Jermaine Donald both before and after the the escape. He's one of the five inmates, by the way, still out there. Police say this young lady, Whedon, sent that inmate money using a cell phone app, helping him stay off the radar of the police. And she was arrested and charged with a charge of felony accessory after the fact. Imagine all these people thinking, oh, these poor inmates, I better help them get out. Now finding themselves inmates, I wonder if someone's going to be there for them or if they'll ever try to bust out or if they'll stay long, because a lot of those people who are charged in that Orleans Parish prison jail, because a lot of these people charged in that Orleans Parish jail are awaiting trial. They're just being held and apparently being held way longer than they should. So how often does this kind of thing happen, People helping inmates escape? And how easy is it to convince someone on the inside or on the outside to play along, even if it Means breaking the law. I spoke with Larry Levine, a former federal inmate who admitted that he used to help fellow prisoners plan their breakouts when he was on the inside. He spent a decade behind bars, but now, totally different life. He set up a company, very successful. He trains people on how the prison system works, especially if they're getting ready to serve time themselves. Here's part of our conversation from my show on News Nation. All right, Larry, how hard is it to coerce a guard?

[B]

You know, in my book, I teach inmates how to coerce guards. And I sent a copy of it into Puff Daddy and Luigi and the doj, the Bop Bandit. I have personally seen it several institutions where a lot of times, it's like health care workers, they go into a room alone with the inmates, women and men, or who knows, maybe it's men and men, but they go into a room and they become friends and they become intimate with each other. And the staff, you know, they're people too. They need money, they need loving. And the inmates are real good at manipulating. Let's look at Joyce Mitchell. You know, I predicted back when that all went down, Dr. Drew Pinsky called me Nostradamus because I predicted what she would look like, what her position with the inmates would be, and what had happened. And when you get an older woman who's overweight, not really attractive, when they're on the inside working the inmates, they kind of treat them like they're a princess. And they can manipulate them or they'll offer staff money. They'll offer staff vacations. Inmates will offer staff all kinds of things to get what they want.

[A]

So this woman, Joyce, as you mentioned, she was the Escape from Dannemora Star Connection. She was the. I think she was the seamstress who some of these. The two inmates were able to coerce through love to help break them out, saying, I think that we'll get together on the outside. Meanwhile, she's married at home. There's another Casey White and Vicky White story. It seemed very similar, right? Like, you know, Vicky White is wooed by Casey White. She breaks him out, she ends up dead. He still professes his love for her, whatever. But what about the other side of it? Those were coercion to voluntarily to help. What about a guy like this who's threatened? His life is threatened, he says. How often does that happen?

[B]

You know, he had ample opportunity to pull back, call in sick, report these inmates. When I first heard the story, I thought this happened spur of the moment where they threatened him, held a knife up to its throat. Now I'm like, finding out, well, this was a planned thing. And I'm curious, how did the inmates know what was behind that toilet, that if they just moved it aside, they could get out? So this guy probably fed them information and I wouldn't be surprised if that comes out in the future. And, I mean, he can profess his innocence. I'm not. I wouldn't be surprised right now if they're looking at his bank accounts, his family's bank accounts, to see if there was any strange deposits or anything that went in.

[A]

Well, tell you what I saw Shawshank. So I know behind every toilet you can get out. Larry, thanks for being here tonight. I always love seeing you. Thank you.

[B]

Okay, Ash, be good.

[A]

In the meantime, though, if you happen to be in the New Orleans area, lock your doors. And if you know something, don't play vigilante. Call the tip line. Let the pros handle it. Because these guys are not shoplifters. They are not pot dealers. They are accused murderers and rapists. And they were able to stroll out of a jail like it was a back door at a Walmart. I'm Ashley Banfield. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much for watching. And on behalf of Atlas, remember that the truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead serious.