Crime
Cortnie Harris and Corvanntay Baptiste Arrested for Aiding Escaped Inmates from Orleans Justice Center
New Orleans, LA – Authorities have arrested two individuals accused of aiding fugitives following the May 16, 2025, escape of ten inmates from the Orleans Justice Center.
As of now, five inmates have been recaptured while the search for the remaining five continues.
Following an intensive multi-agency investigation, Louisiana State Police (LSP) identified 32-year-old Cortnie Harris of New Orleans and 38-year-old Corvanntay Baptiste of Slidell as having provided assistance to the escapees.
According to investigators:
- Cortnie Harris was in direct phone communication with one of the escapees who remains at large. She is also accused of transporting two fugitives—still unaccounted for—to multiple locations within New Orleans in the days following the jailbreak.
- Corvanntay Baptiste allegedly maintained communication with captured escapee Corey Boyd through phone calls and social media. Authorities say Baptiste assisted Boyd by delivering food while Boyd was hiding at a residence.
Both Harris and Baptiste were arrested and charged with one felony count each under LRS 14:25 – Accessory After the Fact.
They have been booked into the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center.
Under Louisiana law, individuals convicted of being accessories after the fact may face up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both, with or without hard labor.
Law enforcement officials from local, state, and federal agencies continue to pursue all leads to locate the remaining fugitives.
Authorities are issuing a firm warning that anyone found harboring or aiding these escapees will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Officials emphasize that assisting fugitives endangers public safety and will not be tolerated.
Anyone with information regarding the fugitives or the ongoing investigation is urged to contact law enforcement through one of the following channels:
- LSP.org – Report Suspicious Activity
- LSP Fusion Center Hotline
- Crime Stoppers Greater New Orleans
- FBI Tip Hotline
A total reward of up to $20,000 per fugitive is being offered for information leading to their arrest:
- Crime Stoppers GNO: $5,000
- ATF: $5,000
- FBI: $10,000
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculation—despite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle East–focused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouch’s social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 — the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays — Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled “I Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,” was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from “Ancestors Song,” a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouch’s participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the author’s family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown University’s decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.