Confessed Killer on Lam Now in Custody, Corrections Officer Dies
A 10-day manhunt for an escaped inmate and a corrections officer from a north Alabama jail ended in a police chase in Evansville, Indiana Monday night, authorities said. Casey Cole White was arrested, while Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections for Lauderdale County, Alabama, was rushed to a hospital where she later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The pair, who were not related, were found at a hotel after a tip from a citizen led to their whereabouts on Sunday night, according to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton. A chase ensued, which led to the Cadillac the pair was driving being wrecked. United States Marshal Matt Keely told CNN Vicky White was found inside the vehicle with a gunshot wound, with Casey telling authorities that “she shot herself in the head and I didn’t do it.”
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The pair disappeared after leaving the Lauderdale County Jail the morning of April 29 with Vicky reportedly saying she was taking Casey to a mental health evaluation at a local courthouse. But Singleton said Casey didn’t have any evaluation and Vicky — a 16-year veteran of the corrections department — was escorting Casey alone in violation of department policy.
“We got a dangerous man off the streets today,” Singleton said on Monday. Evansville is around 278 miles away from Lauderdale County. It’s unclear what led them to that area.
“I wanted to get them off the streets,” Singleton said, adding that he “always expected this” outcome. He said that this particular escape was challenging because “it was well-planned and well-calculated.” The pair had access to cash and vehicles. During the press conference, he praised the U.S. Marshals and said there was “no evidence that I know of that anyone else was involved.”
Casey White was serving a 75-year sentence for a series of crimes, including home invasion, carjacking, and a police chase. In 2020, he confessed to a 2015 murder, but later pleaded not guilty when charged with two counts of capital murder. He now faces charges related to his escape, and will be arraigned and immediately, according to Singleton.
Vicky White, who was already facing charges for permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree, was also facing charges of forgery in the second degree and identity theft before her death, authorities said. The new charges were related to her alleged use of an alias to purchase a 2007 Ford Edge used in the pair’s escape.
“What in the world provoked [Vicky White] to pull a stunt like this, I don’t know,” Singleton said of the officer, who was reportedly getting ready to retire, before her death. “You just don’t know people sometimes.”
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