'Clearly a suicide': Casey White asks judge to drop felony Vicky White murder charge
Trigger warning: The article contains information about suicide that some people may find traumatic. Discretion is advised.
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, ALABAMA: Casey White, 38, the inmate who escaped from an Alabama jail for 11 days with the help of his lover, corrections officer Vicky White, 56, on April 29, 2022, has urged a judge to drop the murder charge against him as the officer’s death was “clearly a suicide.”
Casey, who was hiding at a motel in Evansville, Indiana, with the corrections officer and was caught after a dramatic car chase, was charged with felony murder on July 12, 2022, in connection with the death of the officer, who shot herself in the head shortly after they were found by cops. Four handguns and several semi-automatic weapons, including an AR-15, were recovered from the couple's car. Authorities said the officer was involved in a two-year relationship with the inmate, who was facing capital murder charges in the stabbing death of Connie Ridgeway, 58. Casey was already serving time in state prison on other convictions when he was indicted in the 2015 killing.
RELATED ARTICLES
Did Casey White KILL Vicky White? Alabama inmate charged with killing officer who helped him escape
'Clearly a suicide'
Dismissing the murder charges, Casey’s attorney argued by saying, quoted by DailyMail, “Police dash cam and body cam recordings clearly show that at the conclusion of a car chase, the vehicle driven by [Casey] White wrecked and rolled over in a roadside ditch or median. Video clearly shows the deceased shot herself in the head and continued holding the gun in her hand as police approached. The death, in this case, was clearly a suicide and the Defendant can not (sic) be convicted for the death."
The cause of Vicky's death
Prior to this, police released dispatch audio where Vicky can be heard saying, "Airbags are gonna go off and kill us." "Airbags are going off. Let’s get out, and run," she says further in the 911 audio. Someone at the scene can also be heard saying as per Fox News, "She’s got a gun in her hand, and she’s breathing. She’s got her finger on the trigger."
The more than nine minutes of audio consisted of law enforcement officers tending to the crash site and to Vicky, who was still holding the gun in her hand and then shot herself. Authorities charged Casey with felony murder for Vicky’s death, arguing at the time that he "caused the death of Vicky White, who died from a gunshot to the head."
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).