NEW ORLEANS — On Monday, law enforcement officials detained a former employee of a New Orleans jail, charging her with complicity in a mass escape involving ten inmates last month, notably including her boyfriend, a convicted murderer. Darriana Burton, 28, was among at least 16 individuals accused of facilitating the inmates’ escape on May 16.
Authorities report that only two escapees remain at large: Derrick Groves, Burton’s boyfriend, and Antoine Massey, who is wanted on charges of rape, kidnapping, and domestic battery. The inmates orchestrated the escape by forcefully opening a malfunctioning cell door, removing a toilet, crawling through a hidden route, and climbing over a barbed wire fence at a time when a solitary guard was absent due to a food run.
Records show that two days before the jailbreak, Groves used a jail-issued iPad to FaceTime Burton. During the call, she facilitated a conversation between Groves and an unidentified man, described as deliberately vague, seemingly to coordinate communication through other means not under surveillance. Another subsequent call involved the same man advising Groves against escaping, calling it a “bad move” that would initiate a manhunt and recommending he attempt release through legal channels.
The arrest affidavit suggests Burton’s direct involvement in the escape, leading to her being charged with conspiracy to commit simple escape, a felony offense. Additionally, police documents allege that Burton helped transport another fugitive, Lenton Vanburen, to a relative’s location during his escape.
Burton’s employment at the jail began in 2022, but she was dismissed the following year after being arrested for purportedly smuggling contraband including a knife and snacks filled with tobacco and marijuana into the facility. Those charges were eventually dropped due, in part, to her clean record, and she completed a pretrial diversion program successfully, according to the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office.
“I completely deny having any role in introducing contraband or aiding an escape,” Burton stated on May 30 in a message. “These accusations are baseless, and I will defend myself through the proper legal processes.”
Burton’s arrest, executed by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Marshals Service, followed a warrant issued on May 27, with her detention occurring at the Plaquemines Parish jail. Officials noted that Burton and Groves had been in an intermittent relationship over three years, dating back to her tenure at the jail.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill emphasized their relentless pursuit of those facilitating such crimes, vowing to apprehend and legally pursue accomplices while ensuring Groves and Massey’s return to incarceration. “We will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you to the full extent of the law,” Murrill affirmed.