It’s one of those stories that makes you want to put your head in your hands and just stare at the floor for a while. New Orleans has a way of producing these narratives—stories where the line between the "good guys" and the "bad guys" doesn't just blur; it completely dissolves into a messy, heartbreaking puddle. If you’re looking into the names Kim Groves and Derrick Groves, you’re looking at two different generations of the same family, bookended by violence that feels almost too scripted to be real.
But it is real.
The story starts with a mother who did the right thing and paid for it with her life. It ends (for now) with a grandson who, according to a judge, chose the exact opposite path. Honestly, the irony is thick enough to choke on. We’re talking about a legacy of corruption, a high-profile jailbreak, and a courtroom scene in 2025 that felt like a punch in the gut to anyone who remembers the 1990s.
The Night Kim Groves Became a Symbol
Let’s go back to October 13, 1994. New Orleans back then was a different kind of wild. The police department—the NOPD—was struggling with a reputation for being one of the most corrupt in the country. Enter Len Davis. People in the Desire housing project called him "Robocop," and not in a cool, hero-worshipping way. He was a bully with a badge who was secretly deep in the pockets of drug dealers.
Kim Groves was a 32-year-old mother of three. She saw Davis’s partner, Sammie Williams, pistol-whip a teenager in her neighborhood. Instead of looking the other way, she did what we're told to do: she filed a complaint.
She didn't know she was signing her own death warrant.
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Len Davis found out about the complaint within hours. He didn't call a lawyer; he called a hitman. In a series of FBI wiretaps that are still chilling to listen to, Davis can be heard telling a drug dealer named Paul Hardy to "get that whore." He even used his police cruiser to case the neighborhood and show the hitman exactly where Kim lived.
Around 11:00 p.m. that night, Kim Groves was standing on a street corner in the Lower Ninth Ward when Hardy walked up and shot her in the head. She died right there, a day before her daughter's 13th birthday.
Why the 1994 Case Still Stings
- The Wiretaps: The FBI was already recording Davis for a drug investigation. They heard the hit being planned but didn't realize who the target was until it was too late.
- The Sentence: Len Davis became one of the few police officers in American history to be sentenced to death on federal civil rights charges.
- The Fallout: Her death triggered a massive federal overhaul of the NOPD. It was supposed to be a turning point.
Derrick Groves and the 2025 Jailbreak
Now, fast forward thirty years. The name Groves is back in the headlines, but for a reason that would likely break Kim’s heart. Derrick Groves, Kim’s grandson, has spent the last few years becoming a nightmare for the very community his grandmother died trying to protect.
Derrick’s story culminated in one of the most embarrassing moments for Louisiana law enforcement in recent history: the "Toilet Escape."
In May 2025, Derrick and nine other inmates managed to crawl through a hole behind a toilet at the Orleans Justice Center. They even left a little note in graffiti: "To Easy LoL." He was on the run for five months, eventually getting tracked down by US Marshals in Atlanta, hiding under a house.
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He wasn't just a runaway, though. He was a convicted killer.
The Tragic Turn in the Courtroom
On December 12, 2025, a judge finally put an end to Derrick's legal saga. This is where the story of Kim Groves and Derrick Groves collides in a way that feels like a Greek tragedy. Judge Dennis Waldron didn't hold back. He looked at Derrick—who was reportedly smirking and blowing kisses to the gallery—and brought up his grandmother.
"He chose to not honor the memory of his grandmother as she lay in that street in the Ninth Ward," the judge said. Basically, the court was saying that while Kim died standing up against violence and corruption, Derrick had become the very thing she feared.
Derrick was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus 100 years.
This wasn't just for the escape. It was for a 2018 shooting at a Mardi Gras party that killed two men, Jamar Robinson and Byron Jackson. He also pleaded guilty to manslaughter in two other fatal shootings. When you do the math, that’s four lives.
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What You Need to Know About the 2025 Sentencing
- Lack of Remorse: Prosecutors and victims' families were horrified by Derrick’s behavior in court. He didn't seem to care.
- The Double Life: The sentence ensures he will never see the outside of a prison again, barring a successful appeal.
- The Impact: The victims' families spoke about the "shattered pieces" of their lives. Kadijah Jackson, a sister of one of the victims, described the trauma of finding her brother dying in a car after Derrick opened fire with an AK-style rifle.
Why This Matters Now
It’s easy to look at this as just another "crime story," but it’s deeper. It’s a case study in how trauma ripples through generations. Kim Groves was a hero who was betrayed by the state. Derrick Groves became a predator who terrorized the same streets.
The tragedy of the Groves family is a New Orleans story through and through. It's about a city that's still trying to heal from the corruption of the 90s, while dealing with the fallout of that trauma today.
Actionable Insights and Takeaways
If you’re following this case or looking for lessons in it, here are the cold, hard facts:
- Systemic Failure is Real: The 1994 murder showed how a "bad apple" in a police department can destroy an entire family.
- Cycles of Violence: Experts often point to the "trauma-to-prison pipeline." While it doesn't excuse Derrick’s actions, it provides a grim context for how the grandson of a civil rights victim ends up as a mass shooter.
- Legal Precedents: The Kim Groves case is still cited in federal courts regarding "acting under color of law." It’s a foundational case for holding police accountable.
- The Cost of Escape: The 2025 jailbreak led to a massive investigation into the Orleans Justice Center, revealing that "rushed hiring" and "inside help" were the only reasons ten men were able to walk out of a high-security facility.
The story of Kim Groves and Derrick Groves is finished for now, with one dead and the other behind bars for life. It serves as a stark reminder that the choices we make—and the justice we seek—leave a footprint that lasts long after the cameras stop rolling.
To honor Kim’s legacy, the focus remains on community oversight and ensuring that those who wear the badge are never allowed to become the monsters she stood up against. As for Derrick, his story is a cautionary tale of a legacy squandered in the most violent way possible.
Next Steps for Research:
If you want to dive deeper into the legal documents of the 1994 case, search for United States v. Len Davis. For more on the jailbreak investigation, look into the 2025 Orleans Justice Center security audit reports.