New Orleans escaped inmates enter pleas in connection with jailbreak
By Erin Lowrey
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NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (WDSU) — Nine of the 10 inmates who have been recaptured following a May 16 escape from the Orleans Parish Justice Center were in court Monday, where they entered pleas in connection with the escape.
This comes after Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill charged them all with simple escape.
Each inmate entered a not guilty plea in connection with the escape.
They are all being held at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola without bond.
Each inmate will be due in court for their next hearing on Sept. 3.
New Orleans attorney Bobby Hjortsberg spoke with WDSU following the arraignment. He is representing Antoine Massey.
Hjortsberg said Massey is not guilty.
“He plead not guilty because he is not guilty. There is a lot more to this case than what is currently out there,’ said Hjortsberg. “In this case the state of Louisiana has to prove each element of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt and I don’t think they will meet that burden.”
Hjortsberg said after it’s all said and done, he thinks Massey will go free, despite being seen on video running from the jail.
“Once everything is brought out about how this went down, I think everyone will be singing a different tune,” said Hjortsberg.
Attorney General Liz Murrill issued the following statement regarding how the inmates pleaded:
“Everyone is entitled to due process. But there’s a video of these detainees running out of the jail in the middle of the night. They were not heading to court hearings. We will continue to hold everyone accountable for the escape.”
The inmates were captured on surveillance video running out of the jail after cutting a hole through a toilet.
Derrick Groves is still on the run.
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