Everything We Know About Alabama Inmate Escape After Sheriff Reveals He And Guard Were Ready For Shootout

Topline

The capture of an escaped Alabama murder suspect who fled to Indiana with a corrections officer he reportedly called his “wife” has generated more questions than answers about why the two bolted and what happened while they were on the run, but an Indiana sheriff said Tuesday it looked like they were fully prepared for a shootout.

Key Facts

Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said at a news conference the escaped inmate, Casey White, and officer Vicky White (no relation) were armed with four handguns and an AR-15 rifle when they led authorities in Evansville, Indiana, on a brief chase Monday afternoon.

The chase ended when a 2006 Cadillac the two were in crashed into a ditch.

Casey White, 38, surrendered to U.S. Marshals after the crash, telling them: “Please help my wife. She just shot herself in the head, and I didn’t do it,” according to NBC News, though Wedding said the two were not married.

Authorities told multiple news outlets Monday that Vicky White, 56, appeared to die of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though the Vanderburgh County coroner still has to determine an official manner of death; an autopsy is set for 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The two spent about a week in Evansville, according to Wedding, and multiple wigs and about $29,000 in cash were also found in the vehicle.

Wedding asserted that whatever relationship developed between Casey White and Vicky White was “mutual,” saying Casey White “was not forcing” his longtime guard to do anything.

Crucial Quote

“(Casey White) said that he was probably going to have a shootout at the stake of the both of them losing their lives,” Wedding told reporters Tuesday.

What To Watch For

Casey White waived extradition during an initial court hearing in Indiana Tuesday, according to NBC News, allowing him to be sent back to Lauderdale County, Alabama.

Key Background

Monday’s chase ended a nationwide manhunt that started on April 29, when Vicky White told colleagues she was taking Casey White to a mental health evaluation. Vicky White, who was working her last day on the job at a Lauderdale County correctional facility before retirement, would not return. The patrol car she transported Casey White in was later found at a shopping center in Florence, Alabama, where the two ditched the vehicle for an orange 2007 Ford Edge Vicky White allegedly bought under a false name. The Ford was abandoned in a rural area of Middle Tennessee later that day. The two apparently made it to Indiana in a 2006 Ford F-150, which authorities say may have been stolen from the area of Tennessee where the Ford Edge was dropped. The truck was then abandoned at an Evansville car wash, where security footage appeared to show the two. It’s unknown what the extent of the relationship between Casey White and Vicky White was, but Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said last week it may have been romantic. Vicky White sold her house last month for $95,550, well below market value.

Tangent

Casey White could face the death penalty for allegedly killing an Alabama woman in her living room in 2015. He was already sentenced to 75 years in prison for a December 2015 crime spree in which he shot a woman during an attempted carjacking and killed his ex-girlfriend’s dog, among other offenses.

What We Don’t Know

It’s not clear if anyone will be rewarded for tipping off authorities. The reward for the capture of the two had grown to $25,000 before Monday.

Further Reading

Alabama Jail Escape One Week Later: Total Reward Increased To $25,000 (Forbes)

Alabama inmate had cache of weapons in car and planned shootout before arrest, sheriff says (NBC News)