Slidell Neighborhood Breathes Easier as Murder Suspect Corey Boyd Recaptured
In the quiet Kingspoint neighborhood of Slidell, Louisiana, a mother clutched her child a little tighter as the sound of sirens pierced the evening air on May 20, 2025. The once-peaceful community was transformed into a scene of intense police activity, with flashing lights and tactical units converging on a single residence. The target: Corey Boyd, a 19-year-old fugitive whose escape from the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans had sent shockwaves through the region. For the residents of Slidell, the manhunt brought a chilling reminder that danger could lurk even in their familiar streets. Boyd’s capture late that evening marked a significant breakthrough in a sprawling, multi-agency effort to apprehend a group of dangerous inmates, but it also underscored the vulnerabilities in a jail system now under intense scrutiny.
The operation in Slidell unfolded with precision and urgency. Louisiana State Police, backed by FBI agents and SWAT teams, descended on the Kingspoint neighborhood after receiving intelligence linking Boyd to a specific address. Residents reported a heavy law enforcement presence, with armored vehicles and officers in tactical gear surrounding a home in the Old Kingspoint area. Authorities had warned that Boyd, charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery, and threatening a public official, was to be considered armed and dangerous. The charges stemmed from a 2024 incident in which Boyd allegedly killed Brandon Fees, a witness who confronted him and two others during an attempted car burglary in New Orleans’ Marigny neighborhood. The brutality of the crime—Fees was shot and then run over by a vehicle—had already made Boyd a high-profile suspect before his escape.
The jailbreak that sparked this manhunt was as audacious as it was alarming. On May 16, 2025, ten inmates, including Boyd, exploited critical security flaws at the Orleans Justice Center. They pried open a defective cell door, removed a toilet to access a maintenance corridor, and scaled a barrier wrapped in blankets to avoid barbed wire, all while evading detection for hours. The escape went unnoticed until a routine head count at 8:30 a.m., nearly ten hours after the breakout. The public was not alerted until 11 a.m., with a citywide warning issued only at 2:30 p.m., raising questions about transparency and oversight. Surveillance footage later revealed a taunting message scrawled above the escape route: “To Easy LoL,” a grim testament to the facility’s vulnerabilities.
Boyd’s capture was the fifth in a series of successes for law enforcement. Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, Dkenan Dennis, and Gary Price had already been apprehended, leaving five fugitives—Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Lenton Vanburen, and Antoine Massey—still at large. Each faces serious charges, from murder to domestic abuse, intensifying the urgency of the ongoing manhunt. The operation has mobilized over 200 law enforcement personnel across Louisiana and neighboring states, with rewards totaling $20,000 per fugitive offered by the FBI, ATF, and Crime Stoppers. Authorities believe some escapees may be receiving aid from outside, complicating efforts to bring them into custody.
The escape has ignited a firestorm of criticism directed at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Susan Hutson has acknowledged procedural failures and possible internal complicity, pointing to the arrest of a maintenance worker, Sterling Williams, who allegedly assisted the inmates under threat of violence. The facility’s infrastructure, including defective locks and inoperable security cameras, has been cited as a contributing factor. Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams emphasized that housing high-risk inmates on the first floor was a critical error, fueling calls for a comprehensive audit of jail security protocols.
For the people of Slidell and New Orleans, the manhunt is a stark reminder of the stakes involved. Boyd’s capture brought relief but not closure, as the search for the remaining fugitives continues. Authorities urge residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the FBI hotline or Crime Stoppers. As the investigation unfolds, the focus remains on ensuring such a breach never happens again, restoring trust in a system that failed to contain some of the city’s most dangerous offenders.
