Authorities confirm a former prison officer accused of assisting a capital murder suspect in escaping from an Alabama jail last week died Monday as a police chase concluded in a car crash in Indiana.
The ex-officer, Vicky White, 56, was declared dead hours following the incident, according to Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear. Rick Singleton, the sheriff of Lauderdale County in Alabama, informed reporters earlier that the murder suspect, Casey White, 38, surrendered to authorities after the wreck.
White died at 7:06 p.m. Monday, according to Coroner Steve Lockyear's statement. An autopsy was performed Tuesday at 5 p.m. local time, per CBS News.
The reason for her death has officially been ruled a suicide by Vanderburgh County (Indiana) Coroner Steve Lockyear.
"Please help my wife. She just shot herself in the head, and I didn't do it," White yelled as he stepped out of the car, the US Marshals Service reported.
Casey White was apprehended after being seen on camera washing a Ford F-150 pickup in Evansville.
Vicky and Casey Were in a Relationship
Vicky White, an associate director of corrections for Lauderdale County, transported Casey White from the county jail on April 29, claiming she was bringing him for a mental health evaluation that had never been arranged, according to authorities. She then stated that she would seek medical attention after dropping off the prisoner since she was feeling sick.
According to an NBC News report, the former assistant director of prisons at the Lauderdale County Jail and Casey White had a "special relationship," according to officials. Authorities stated they had been dating for at least two years and spoke on the phone. No further information about their relationship has been released.
White was facing fresh forgery and identity theft accusations in Alabama before she died, on top of the charge of permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree that she had been charged with just a week before.
Officials said the latest accusations arose from the officer purchasing the vehicle used in the escape, a 2007 Ford Edge, under a false name.
Vicky White Was a Reliable Prison Guard
Vicky White, on the other hand, had a faultless record as a prison guard, according to a BBC report.
Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly told reporters that he "would have trusted" White with his life.
"If we needed something from the jail, she was our go-to person, a solid employee. That's why it's so shocking," Connolly said.
In September 2020, White was charged with murder in the stabbing death of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway. He had already been sentenced to 75 years in prison for a series of violent offenses committed in 2015, including burglary, vehicle theft, and a police chase.
According to officials, he confessed to the murder but later pleaded not guilty due to insanity and was awaiting trial at the Lauderdale County Jail when he vanished. If convicted, he will be executed.
The inmate now faces an escape charge and will be repatriated to Alabama's correctional facility.
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