Alabama CO Dies of Suspected Suicide as 11-Day Manhunt for Capital Murder Suspect Ends
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The nationwide manhunt for an escaped capital murder suspect and an Alabama corrections official-turned-perpetratrator came to a close following a 15-minute police chase in Indiana on Monday. Officials confirm the corrections officer (CO) was hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but has since died.
Casey White, a 38-year-old inmate who escaped Lauderdale County jail on April 29, is back in police custody and appears to be fully cooperating with authorities following the botched escape that led to the death of co-conspirator Vicky White, an assistant director of corrections with the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office.
Casey White and Vicky White have no marriage ties and are not related, according to authorities.
During a Tuesday news conference, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding disclosed that authorities found a cache of weapons in the getaway car operated by Casey White and Vicky White. The 38-year-old reportedly intended to stage a shootout if caught by authorities.
“He said that he was probably going to have a shootout at the stake of both of them losing their lives," Wedding said of the capital murder suspect. "Their plan was pretty faulty. They're criminals, their plan was faulty, and it failed, thank God."
The sheriff detailed that the two had approximately $29,000 in cash, a number of wigs, an AR-15, and at least four handguns when they were captured on Monday.
Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding shows a photograph of the weapons that were found in the possession of fugitives Casey White and Vicky White following their capture during a press conference in Evansville, Ind., Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
© AP Photo / Timothy D. Easley
While Vicky White was hospitalized with a fatal gunshot wound, Wedding said that Casey White suffered “a couple bumps and bruises” after officers rammed his getaway car into a ditch.
Authorities do not believe that Vicky White and Casey White had a “mutual” relationship.
"He was not forcing her," the sheriff said of the two.
Casey White claimed that he and his co-conspirator planned to “hide out and lay low” at an Indiana hotel, Wedding said. The two reportedly paid for a 14-day stay and “wanted to stop for a while, get their bearings straight and then figure out their next place to travel."
The 15-minute police chase reportedly began after authorities spotted a Cadillac linked to the couple parked in the hotel’s lot.
Dash camera footage from the Evansville Police Department shows Casey White being handcuffed and slung onto a cruiser.
Several officers donning a variety of gear were seen around the 38-year-old’s getaway car, which was flipped on its side in a nearby ditch.
“Casey quickly surrendered, and his immediate words to our team was … 'Please help my wife. She just shot herself in the head,’” US Deputy Marshal Chad Hunt, commander of the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, told WTVF.
Authorities do not believe Casey White shot Vicky White.
A photo provided by Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office shows inmate Casey White who was on the run with Vicky White, an Alabama CO accused of helping him escape.
© AP Photo / Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office
Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said that he was concerned that Vicky White would turn to suicide if she and Casey White were caught.
“Knowing Vicky and what she’d be facing coming back–and more than facing the charges, facing her family and coworkers–I was just concerned that would really weigh on her and if it came down to a situation like it did today, this would be the result,” the sheriff said on Monday, as reported by NewsNationNow.
Singleton went on to highlight that authorities “got a dangerous man off the street today.”
Prior to his escape late last month, Casey White was set to go on trial for the 2015 killing of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway, who was stabbed to death in her home. The 38-year-old has admitted to the crime.
Additionally, White was sentenced in 2019 to 75 years behind bars for his role in a string of crimes committed in Limestone County, Alabama, including attempted murder, robbery, burglary, and a police chase.
Although Casey White was captured in Indiana, he will face no additional charges in the state, as he signed a waiver of extradition for his return to Alabama.
