Derrick Groves says one Instagram video changed everything. The convicted killer claims federal prosecutors used his social media post to build their double murder case against him.
Groves and co-defendant Kendall Barnes made the video on the same night as the 2018 Mardi Gras shooting. The February 13, 2018, shooting killed Jamar Robinson, 26 and Byron Jackson, 21.
Three other people were wounded in the attack. Prosecutors said the shooting was a hit gone wrong – the intended target escaped.
Groves and Barnes recorded themselves rapping NBA YoungBoy’s track “Contempt in Court” featuring Moneybagg Yo hours after the deadly shooting on St. Claude Avenue in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward.
“What got me in trouble? I made an Instagram video. Me and my codefendant,” Groves said in a recent prison interview. “My codefendant named Kendall Barnes. You know what I’m saying? We was in a car on that same night. We made a video.”
“Soon as these lyrics come on: They say they spoke on my name/Two n##### I had to kill/These n##### be running be ducking/but I really slinging real.”
Family members of the victims saw the video and immediately contacted authorities. They believed Groves and Barnes were bragging about the murders of Jamar Robinson and Byron Jackson.
“That video, his family members, a girl, auntie, whoever sent that video to the feds and told the feds, ‘Look at these dudes. They bragging on what just happened,'” Groves said.
Groves says the video became crucial evidence for federal prosecutors. The lyrics seemed to match details of the crime, giving investigators what they needed to build their case.
“Somebody took me and my best friend’s picture and posted it on a fake page that said these the two people who killed Mar and B for the boss man for some free dope,” Groves said.
The case went through multiple trials and mistrials before a jury finally convicted Groves in October 2024. Barnes was also found guilty of second-degree murder charges.
Groves had already been serving time on federal drug trafficking charges when the murder trial concluded. He pleaded guilty to those charges in 2019.
The conviction came after Groves made headlines for a different reason. He was one of 10 inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish jail in May 2025. The mass breakout became a national story.
Groves remained on the run for five months while other escapees were captured. Federal marshals finally tracked him down to an Atlanta home in October 2025.
Authorities received a tip that led them to the Atlanta hideout. Groves waived extradition and was returned to Louisiana to face sentencing.
In December 2025, Orleans Parish Judge Dennis Waldron sentenced Groves to two consecutive life terms plus 100 years. The sentence covers both murder counts and attempted murder charges.
Loading ... 