The legal team for Casey White, the inmate who escaped an Alabama prison for 11 days with the help of a female corrections officer who later shot herself, has asked a judge to drop the murder charge against him because the woman’s death was ‘clearly a suicide.’
According to the team’s motion to dismiss the murder charge against him, White’s attorneys are arguing that prosecutors will not be able to convict him in the death of jail guard Vicky White, 56, with whom he was romantically entangled because they would have to prove she did not die by ‘natural causes, accident or suicide.’
Casey White (of no relation to Vicky White), 38, was serving a 75-year-sentence for a number of crimes from 2015 and had been transferred to the Lauderdale County jail, where he was awaiting trial for the 2015 murder of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway.
While imprisoned in Lauderdale, Casey and Vicky struck up a romantic dalliance that included nearly 1,000 phone calls leading up to a planned escape from law enforcement on April 29.
The pair went on the run for 11 days until law enforcement caught up with them in Evansville, Indiana where Vicky White shot herself in the head in a car before agents apprehended her.
This combination of photos provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office in April 2022 shows inmate Casey Cole White, left, and Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White
Sheriffs in Indiana are seen investigating the crumpled wreck of the car, in which Vicky White killed herself
The escaped prisoner, standing 6ft 9 tall, towers over the Indiana officers who arrested him after the car he was driving was run off the road
White’s attorneys said: ‘[P]olice dash came and body cam recordings clearly show that at the conclusion of a car chase, the vehicle driven by White wrecked and rolled over in a roadside ditch or median.
Video clearly shows the deceased shot herself in the head and continued holding the gun in her hand as police approached. The death, in this case, was clearly a suicide and the Defendant can not (sic) be convicted for the death.’
Prior to the pair’s car being run off the road by police during the pursuit, Vicky White can be heard on tape saying, ‘Airbags are gonna go off and kill us.’
‘Airbags are going off. Let’s get out, and run,’ she says to her partner.
She is then heard shrieking during what sounds like a crash. Sirens are blaring in the background.
The remainder of the file sounds like law enforcement is tending to the crash site and to Vicky, who is still holding onto her gun.
Someone at the scene can be heard saying, ‘She’s got a gun in her hand, and she’s breathing. She’s got her finger on the trigger.’
Authorities initially charged Casey White with felony murder for Vicky’s death, arguing that he ’caused’ her death.
White’s defense team, however, is now arguing that the prosecutors ‘stretched’ the state of Alabama’s felony-murder doctrine far past ‘its origin intent.’
These are all of the weapons the couple had in their Cadillac when they were rammed into a ditch by police, before Vicky died
The escaped prisoner, standing 6ft 9 tall, towers over the Indiana officers who arrested him after the car he was driving was run off the road
Casey White was charged with the murder of Vicky White, who helped him plan his escape across the country. Casey is pictured at court in Florence, Alabama, with his hands cuffed and his feet shackled after his arrest
Escaped inmate Casey White arrives at the Lauderdale County Courthouse in Florence, Ala., after waiving extradition in Indiana on May 10, 2022
Last week, attorneys for White – who will go to trial in December on the original capital murder charge for which he was in prison – asked the judge to eliminate a potential death penalty sentence.
A conviction for capital murder in Alabama comes with a sentence of life in prison without the possibility for parole or death.
Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly has not clarified yet whether he will be seeking the death penalty.
Lauderdale County, Alabama DA Chris Connolly has not formally indicated whether he will seek the death penalty for Casey White
Timeline of Vicky White and Casey White’s escape
April 18: Jail guard Vicky White sold her Lexington home. Public records revealed she sold the property for $95,550, which was below market value. She started living with her mother after the sale.
April 28: Vicky submits retirement paperwork to officials at Lauderdale County Jail. According to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton, she had been discussing her retirement for many months and ‘talked about going to the beach’.
Pre-prison break: In the week ahead of the escape (specific dates unknown) Vicky purchased men’s clothing at a Kohl’s store and visited a sex shop. It is unclear if she bought anything at the adult toy store.
Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly claims she also withdrew $90K in cash out of a series of bank accounts.
April 29 at 5.21am: Vicky checks out of a Quality Inn Florence, Alabama.
8.47am: Transport Van 5 leaves the Lauderdale County jail with seven inmates escorted by two deputies
8.56am: Transport Van 2 leaves the jail with five inmates also escorted by two deputies
9.20am: Assistant Director Vicky White tells a deputy to prepare inmate Casey White for transport to courthouse. Deputy removes White from his cell, takes him to booking and handcuffs him and shackles his legs.
9.41am: Vicky leaves detention center with Casey and head to the courthouse for a ‘mental health evaluation.’ She told the booking officer that she is the only deputy available who is firearm-certified and that she’s dropping him off to other deputies at the courthouse. Vicky says she’s then going to Med Plus for a personal appointment.
9.49am: Surveillance video shows Vicky’s police cruiser parked at the nearby Florence Square shopping center parking lot eight minutes after leaving the jail. ‘There was not enough time for them to even attempt to try to come to the courthouse,’ Sheriff Rick Singleton said.
11.34am: A Florence Police Department officer spots her cruiser.
3.30pm: Booking officer reports to administration that they’ve been trying to contact Vicky to check on her, and that her phone is going directly to voice mail. The officer also says that Casey was not returned to the detention center with other inmates.
Approximately 11pm: College Grove, Tennessee resident Jackie Adams finds Vicky’s SUV – with tinted windows and no tags – abandoned by her home. She reported the vehicle to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, which had it towed.
May 1: Us Marshals offer a $10,000 bounty – now up to $25,000 – for Casey
May 3: US Marshals issued a warrant for Vicky. charging her with permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree in connection with capital murder
May 4: Vicky and Casey were seen driving around Florence in a police cruiser on gas station surveillance
May 6: Tennessee cops discover the impounded SUV belonged to Vicky, spurring a force of US Marshals, Williamson County Sheriff’s Officers, and SWAT members to circle back to Adams’ property.
Drones and helicopters descended on Adams’ home – where they remained for hours and into the evening.
2.15pm: The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office tweets ‘there is NO sign the two are still in our area.’
May 7: Connolly reveals investigators’ theory that Vicky is rolling Casey, dressed as a woman, around in a wheelchair. Officials also suspect Vicky might be disguising herself as an elderly woman with a grey wig.
May 9: US Marshals search for the couple in Evansville, Indiana after authorities locate a vehicle that had been reported stolen in the area of Tennessee where Vicky’s SUV was abandoned.
The couple is then caught after a brief car chase in Evansville, Indiana. Casey White surrenders. Vicky White is taken to the hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Source: WAAY-TV, Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, NewsNation, TODAY and DailyMail.com.
