Kim Chandler and Mike Balsamo, Associated Press Posted: Tuesday, May 10, 2022, 11:51 AM EDT Last Updated: Tuesday, May 10, 2022, 11:51 AM EDT
The murder suspect and his inmate, who escaped authorities more than a week after being released from Alabama jail, carried $ 29,000 in cash, four pistols and an AR-15 rifle and were prepared for a shootout when they were captured, an Indiana sheriff said. Tuesday.
Fugitive convict Casey White showed no remorse for the death of prison officer Vicky White, who was found fatally wounded with a handgun on Monday after a brief chase, said Vanderburg County Sheriff Dave Widding. Authorities do not believe Casey White shot Vicki White, but the medical examiner will make the final decision, he said.
Casey White, 38, surrendered without a fight, saying he did not kill the woman he calls his wife. He appeared in a video Tuesday at a courtroom in Indiana, where he refused extradition, and authorities said he would be sent back to Alabama quickly.
The end of the persecution did not help answer long-running questions about the escape from prison: why did a long-respected prison official give up everything to help a dangerous criminal escape on the eve of his retirement? What did they do while evading the authorities for about eleven days? And when they were finally surrounded, did she really pull the trigger to end her own life?
Vicki White, 56, was pronounced dead in hospital on Monday after a Cadillac driver was pushed into a ditch by members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force, where he found himself, sheriff Evansville, Indiana said. They were nearly 300 miles (480 kilometers) from the Alabama prison, where he was awaiting trial for the murder.
Jamie Poss, a lawyer representing White in the case, declined to comment on Tuesday, saying he was still trying to find out what had happened in Indiana.
The NBC Today show on Tuesday that federal marshals said Casey White told scene officials, “Please help my wife.” She just shot herself in the head and I didn’t. The two whites were not relatives, let alone married, officials said.
Before Vanderburg County Coroner Steve Locker announced her death, the Alabama sheriff had said he hoped to get answers from his former trustee in prison.
“I trusted Vicki White. She was an exemplary employee. What, for God’s sake, provoked her, prompted her to do such a stunt? I do not know. I don’t know if we’ll ever know, “said Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton.
Authorities shut down after a car wash manager said he told U.S. marshals on Sunday that a man very much like Casey White had been spotted by a surveillance camera getting off a 2006 Ford F-150 pickup truck. 6 feet, 9 inches (2.06 meters) tall and weighs about 260 pounds (118 pounds).
After finding the F-150, authorities received information that the two may have boarded a beige Cadillac since 2006, US Marshal Marty Keeley told Good Morning America.
“We sent our people to the car wash area and watched the vehicle at a hotel,” Keeley said.
Members of a task force of U.S. marshals went to investigate, which led to a brief persecution, Vanderburg County Sheriff Dave Widing told Today.
“The persecution was very short. He climbed a main artery here in Vanderberg County and they cut a parking lot in a large factory. They were in a grassy area, so three of the members of our task force actually hit the vehicle, pushed it into a ditch, and ended up on the sidelines. When they approached the vehicle, it was obvious that the female driver was unconscious and still holding a weapon in her hand. And they took the killer out of the vehicle at the same time, “said Wedding.
Wedding said it was not officially determined whether Vicki White had actually taken her own life.
“The investigative service will investigate and determine whether this is a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The initial indication is that this is the case, but we will not rule anything out until we conduct a thorough investigation by the coroner.
The search began on April 29 after Vicki White, assistant director of the Lauderdale County Jail’s correctional facilities, told colleagues she was taking Casey White, who was awaiting trial for a fatal murder, from the mental health prison. There was no such appointment.
“Today we removed a dangerous man from the street. He will never see the light of day again. This is a good thing, not just for our community. That’s a good thing for our country, “Singleton said.
Casey White was serving a 75-year sentence for attempted murder and other charges during her escape. He was awaiting trial for stabbing a 58-year-old woman during a burglary in 2015. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. White will be returned to Lauderdale County, Alabama, where he will be tried on the latest charges, authorities said.
Federal and local law enforcement officials also learned that Casey White threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and sister in 2015 and said he “wants the police to kill him,” the marshals’ office said.
An order was issued for Vicki Sue White on May 2, accusing her of allowing or facilitating a first-degree escape.
Vicky White’s family members and colleagues said they were stunned. Singleton said the plan seemed to work for some time. The inmates said the two had a special relationship and she treated Casey White better than the other inmates.
In the last few months, she has bought a rifle and a shotgun, and she was also known to have a gun, Keeley said. She also sold her house – for about half the market value – and bought a 2007 orange Ford Edge, which she hid in a mall without license plates.
“This escape was obviously well planned and calculated. A lot of preparation was put into this. “They had a lot of resources, they had money, they had vehicles,” Singleton said.
To what Vicki White said would be her last day at work, video shows the couple went from prison to the mall where they picked up the Ford and left, Singleton said.
Associated Press writer Ken Kusmer contributed from Indianapolis.
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