Two women arrested for helping fugitives as manhunt in New Orleans escape reaches 6th day

The massive manhunt for five of the 10 inmates who fled a New Orleans jail stretched into a sixth day on May 21, and the escape’s investigation has now yielded three alleged accomplices.

Louisiana State Police said Wednesday they have arrested two women, Cortnie Harris and Corvanntay Baptiste, for their roles in helping the inmates who broke free in the early morning of May 16. Harris and Baptiste join jail maintenance worker Sterling Williams, who was arrested Monday, as accused co-conspirators.

Harris and Baptiste are charged with felony offenses for helping the men after the escape. Williams faces charges for aiding the escapees prior to the jailbreak.

Police said in a statement that Harris, 32, was in phone contact with one of the inmates before the escape and provided transportation to New Orleans locations to two fugitives afterward. They remain at large.

Baptiste, 38, was in phone and social media contact with escapee Corey Boyd, who was captured May 20, and helped get him food as he hid, police said.

Harris and Baptiste have been charged with one count each of accessories after the fact, according to the statement, which was posted on social media and contained this admonition:

“Those who choose to assist or conceal these individuals are violating the law and will be held accountable. Harboring fugitives threatens the safety of our communities and will not be tolerated.”

Visual story: Maps and videos show how New Orleans jail escape unfolded

Fear amid return to normal life in New Orleans

Some of the people in New Orleans closest to the alleged crimes committed by the escapees acknowledge being on edge, while other residents say they’re going about business as usual.

Tess Gonzales, manager of Daisy Mae’s Southern Fried Chicken & Breakfast, said there’s been some worry inside the bustling diner about the five escaped inmates still out in the streets, but there’s also relief now that five have been captured in five days.

“It’s both yes and no. There’s some concern for our safety because they are dangerous criminals,” Gonzales, 53, told USA TODAY. “But it’s not like we’re going to stop living our lives.”

Meanwhile, the prosecutors who put at least one of the inmates behind bars are worried. Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams told reporters two of the lawyers who tried a case with him against escaped convict Derrick Groves have left town with their families “out of fear of retribution and retaliation.”

Groves was convicted last year on two counts of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder.

“I am personally afraid,” Williams admitted. “We were asking for a life sentence of this man, and he is now at large.”

5 New Orleans jailbreak escapees are back in custody

There has been some progress in the hunt. Corey Boyd, 19, was taken into custody in New Orleans on May 20, according to Louisiana State Police. Boyd was being held on charges of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, aggravated battery and threatening a public official. Boyd now faces an additional charge of simple escape.Four other escapees from the Orleans Justice Center have also been captured within New Orleans city limits and are now being held at the maximum security Louisiana State Penitentiary, according to the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections.

Fifth inmate recaptured after New Orleans jail break; maintenance worker arrested

‘5 more to go’

The five who remain at large “are considered to be armed and dangerous,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said. She lauded efforts to recapture the escapees.

“Great work by @LAStatePolice and all our law enforcement partners on the ground,” she said in a social media post after Boyd was in custody. “5 more to go.”

The hunt continued for Groves, Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Lenton Vanburen and Antoine Massey. Vanburen, Donald and Groves have been charged with second-degree murder, officials said.

How did the inmates escape from the New Orleans jail?

The sheriff’s office has said the inmates appeared to have used a tool to cut through steel bars behind a toilet and sink fixture in a cell. They crawled through the hole, slipped onto a loading dock, shed their uniforms, scaled a wall and sprinted to freedom across Interstate 10, leaving behind a mocking message on the wall that read: “To Easy LoL.”

Jail employee Sterling Williams, 33, has been charged with multiple counts of being a principal to simple escape and malfeasance in office. Williams told investigators he complied with a demand from one of the inmates to shut off the water to a cell, allowing the escapees to rip out the toilet and sink unit and climb through the hole in the wall that was created, Murrill said in a statement.

In the arrest affidavit, Williams said one of the inmates threatened to stab him with a “shank” − a homemade knife − if he didn’t follow instructions.

Who are the New Orleans inmates still on the run?

Jermaine Donald, 42, was charged with second-degree murder, according to parish records. The governor’s office said he also faced charges of aggravated battery and possession of a firearm, according to the governor’s office. He pleaded not guilty in April 2024, the Times-Picayune/NOLA.com reported.
Derrick Groves, 27, was convicted of two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder in October in connection with a shooting during Mardi Gras in 2018, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office. Groves has been awaiting sentencing on a manslaughter charge since October, according to a news release from the governor’s office. He also faces a charge of battery against a correctional facility employee, the Associated Press reported, citing court records.
Antoine T. Massey, 32, is charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation and theft of a motor vehicle, according to Orleans Parish records. There also is a warrant for his arrest in St. Tammany Parish for second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping, domestic abuse involving strangulation and violation of a protective order involving battery stemming from an incident in November, a spokesperson for the parish’s sheriff’s office told USA TODAY.
Leo Tate, 31, was charged with burglary and drug possession, parish records show. The governor’s office said Tate also was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and was sentenced in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm. NOLA.com reported Tate has also been sentenced to 10 years in prison for obstruction of justice, citing jail records.
Lenton Vanburen, 26, was arrested on charges of second-degree murder and armed robbery, New Orleans police said. Vanburen also faced charges of possession of suboxone, an opioid often used to treat addiction, and battery of a correctional officer, according to parish records.