Alabama Jailbreak

Start from the beginning
                                    

But some things seemed clear: Vicky White had carefully prepared for the escape -- and it had been in the works for a while. "This was very well planned and calculated," Singleton said.
Surveillance video footage taken before April 29 backs up the sheriff's comments about Vicky White, a widow who had no children. Her actions showed she spent the past few weeks preparing and uprooting her life.
For months, she had told her coworkers about her plans to retire and move to the beach. In the weeks leading up to the escape, she handed in her retirement paperwork and sold her home in the tiny town of Lexington, Alabama, for $95,550 -- less than half of its market value. She moved in next door to her mother, Pat Davis, who said she had no idea about her daughter's plans.

"She would come home after work, eat supper at my house, and pick up her dog. She'd walk her dog and that was her routine every day," Davis told CNN.
In the days leading up to the escape, Singleton said, Vicky White shopped for men's clothes at a department store. She also bought some items at an adult store.
She "was basically the mastermind behind the whole plan. He was behind bars. He really couldn't plan too much behind bars," Singleton said after the arrest. "She arranged -- purchased the getaway car, she sold her house, got her hands on cash ... She just obviously put the plan together. Casey White didn't escape from the facility; he was basically just let out."
Their 'special relationship' dated back at least 2 years
Not much is known about the extent of Vicky White's relationship with Casey White. Details have emerged in dribs and drabs.
Singleton believes the pair, who were not related, met in 2020 when Casey White was transferred to the Lauderdale County jail for an arraignment in the 2015 fatal stabbing of Connie Ridgeway.
"As far as we know, that was the earliest physical contact they had," the sheriff said.

Connie Ridgeway was fatally stabbed in 2015. Casey White confessed to the killing, then later recanted.
After the arraignment, Casey White returned to state prison. But Singleton said the officer and inmate kept communicating by phone.
Other inmates revealed details about the unusual perks Casey White received from Vicky White, including extra food, Singleton said.
Investigators discovered the two had shared a "special relationship" for at least two years, the sheriff said. "We were told Casey White got special privileges and was treated differently while in the facility than the other inmates," he said. "We have confirmed through independent sources and other means that there was in fact a relationship between Casey White and Vicky White outside of her normal work hours -- not physical contact -- but a relationship of a different nature."
In summer 2020, while Casey White was imprisoned for attempted murder and a string of violent crimes, he asked to speak to a Lauderdale County investigator. When the officer arrived, he confessed to killing Ridgeway in Rogersville, Alabama, authorities said. He later recanted his confession and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Casey White was brought back to the Lauderdale County jail in February to attend court hearings related to his murder charges.
Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly said he was stunned that Vicky White may have been romantically involved with an inmate. "I never would have thought that in a million years," said Connolly, who spoke with her almost every day for 17 years.
He described Vicky White as "the most solid person at the jail."
"I would have trusted her with my life," he said.
A stop at a car wash helped narrow down their location
As time passed without any leads on their whereabouts, investigators released images of the jailer and the fugitive to highlight their stark height difference. Tips poured into the local authorities and US Marshals Service.
Six days after their escape, the Ford SUV was identified in a tow lot in Williamson County, Tennessee, about two hours north of Florence. But Vicky White and Casey White were nowhere to be found.
After dumping the SUV -- their second car after the cruiser -- they had bought a Ford F-150 truck for $6,000 in cash in Tennessee, US Marshals Commander Chad Hunt said.
On Sunday night, investigators got a tip that helped zoom in on their location. The owner of a car wash in Evansville, Indiana, notified investigators that the truck had been discovered at his business about 175 miles north of Williamson County.
Surveillance footage from the business showed the fugitives got into a Cadillac sedan after they abandoned the truck. "Not only did we identify the truck, but when they left the truck on the premises, we saw them enter into a Cadillac, which kept us up to speed on what vehicle they may be in at the time," Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said.
US Marshals released photos of fugitive Casey White caught on surveillance at a car wash in Evansville, Indiana.
US Marshals released photos of fugitive Casey White caught on surveillance at a car wash in Evansville, Indiana.

Casey White showed no remorse after the capture, authorities say
A task force from Alabama descended on Evansville and teamed up with deputies and marshals in Indiana.
There, investigators drove around, scouting out motels and restaurant parking lots for the Cadillac.
Then, on May 9, Evansville Police detective Darren Richardson was driving home after his shift when he spotted the Cadillac in the Motel 41 parking lot just south of the sheriff's office.
"I turned back around, swung through the parking lot and got ... the license plate for the vehicle," Richardson told CNN affiliate WAAY.
Investigators believed the fugitives rented the motel room, and had paid someone who was homeless to use their identification. Motel 41 owner, Paul Shah, told CNN that someone checked in to a room and paid for a two-week stay. The person was not checked in under either of the missing pair's names, he said.
Four handguns, a loaded AR-15 style rifle, handcuffs and a Taser were among the items found inside the wrecked Cadillac.
Four handguns, a loaded AR-15 style rifle, handcuffs and a Taser were among the items found inside the wrecked Cadillac.
Law enforcement set up surveillance outside the motel and saw Vicky White exiting it. She was wearing a wig and got into the Cadillac. It pulled out of the parking lot with Casey White at the wheel, and he drove away, US Marshal Marty Keely said.
Authorities began to quietly tail the fugitives. Shortly after that, a car chase began. Audio of a 911 call that Evansville officials say Vicky White made appears to start near the end of the chase. A woman's voice -- believed to be hers -- is heard within the first six seconds, saying, "Wait, stop ... air bags going to go off and kill us." She shrieks several times before saying, "Air bags are going off. Let's get out and run."
The pursuit ended when a law enforcement official rammed the suspects' vehicle, sending it into a ditch, Wedding said.
When authorities reached the Cadillac, they found Vicky White had been shot. She died of a single gunshot wound to the head and the manner of her death was ruled a suicide, the coroner's office said. She's survived by her parents and two brothers.

As officers approached the car, Casey White asked them to help "his wife," Keely said, and told them he "didn't do it."
Authorities said that, to their knowledge, Casey White and Vicky White were not married. Investigators arrested him as medical crews tried to save her.
"He certainly didn't show any remorse for anything he's done. That's supposed to be his girlfriend and she's dead and he hasn't shown any remorse that I've seen since that happened," Singleton said. "He used her, which they always do. Unfortunately, Vicky lost not only everything she had but her life."
The pair had been in Evansville for six days, and Wedding is perplexed on why they chose the town of 100,000 just over the Ohio River from Kentucky. "It was just hard to believe they were here -- I wouldn't think somebody on the run would stay in a community like Evansville," Wedding said.
Inside the Cadillac, the pair had about $29,000 in cash, wigs, four handguns, a loaded AR-15 style rifle, extra magazines for each weapon, and a police duty belt with handcuffs and a Taser. The crash thwarted Casey White's plan for a shootout, authorities said.
"Their plan was pretty faulty. They're criminals, their plan was faulty and it failed. Thank God," Wedding said.
Casey White was transported back to Alabama in a caravan of armored vehicles. He was charged with escape in the first degree -- in addition to the capital murder charges he's facing in Ridgeway's death.
After a whirlwind 11 days, the manhunt had come to a deadly end. But for many who knew Vicky White, the questions are only beginning.
CNN's Omar Jimenez, Jaide Timm-Garcia and Nadia Romero contributed to this report.

get informed.Where stories live. Discover now