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Alabama Jail Escapee Pleads Not Guilty In Death Of Corrections Officer Who Freed Him
Prosectors won’t seek the death penalty against Casey White in two separate murder cases involving Connie Ridgewood and corrections officer, Vicky White.
Alabama inmate Casey White has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the death of former corrections officer Vicky White, who died after allegedly breaking him out of jail earlier this year.
Casey White entered the plea during an arraignment on Tuesday, according to AL.com.
Casey White made national headlines in April when he escaped from Lauderdale County jail with the alleged assistance of Vicky White, who was a jail guard at the facility. At the time, surveillance cameras captured Vicky White escorting Casey White out of the detention center, ultimately leading police on a manhunt spanning 11 days.
The now-deceased corrections officer had snuck Casey White out of jail under the guise she was transporting him to a court hearing.
On May 9, Vicky White fatally shot herself in Evansville, Indiana after Casey White had crashed the vehicle the two were driving. Casey White surrendered and was taken into custody shortly afterwards.
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Vicky White died of a single gunshot wound to the head. The 56-year-old’s death was ultimately ruled a suicide by the coroner’s office in Indiana’s Vanderburgh County, according to CNN.
A Lauderdale County jury indicted Casey White on murder charges in July. He now faces a maximum punishment of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. “The Felony Murder indictment alleges that during the course of and in furtherance of committing Escape in the First Degree, White caused the death of Vicky White, who died from a gunshot wound to the head,” Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly explained in a statement to Oxygen.com.
Authorities say Casey White and Vicki White, who weren’t related, had engaged in a jailhouse romance for months prior to the brazen escape attempt. Officials say their “special relationship” began in 2020.
At the time of his escape, Casey White had been serving a 75-year sentence at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility for a series of crimes dating back to 2015. In 2020, while behind bars, he allegedly confessed to the murder of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway. He later pleaded guilty by reason of insanity.
This week, prosecutors indicated they won’t seek the death penalty against Casey White in that case or the murder case involving Vicky White.
"We are not seeking the death penalty in [either of his pending cases]," Connolly told Fox News Digital. "This decision was made after consultation with Connie Ridgeway’s sons."
Ridgeway’s family has said they’re hopeful Casey White will receive a life prison sentence without the chance of parole.
"I definitely don’t want him ever up for parole," Austin Williams, one of Ridgewood’s sons, told Fox News. "I’m glad the wheels of justice are turning."
Casey White’s defense team had previously attempted to have the murder charge in Vicky White’s death tossed, arguing it was unconstitutional in nature — and the correction officer's death was “clearly a suicide,” per case court documents cited by Fox News. Attorneys for Casey White cited a surveillance video which allegedly video captured the suicide.
"She’s got a gun in her hand, and she’s breathing," an unknown person at the scene stated on the recording. "She’s got her finger on the trigger."
His lawyers added the burden would be on the state to prove that Vicky White “did not occur by natural causes, accident or suicide."
Authorities, however, previously countered that Casey White "caused the death of Vicky White, who died from a gunshot to the head."
Casey White has a status conference set for November in the Vicky White case. He’s scheduled to head to trial for Ridgeway’s murder on Dec. 12.
