(NewsNation) — Casey White, the inmate who escaped from an Alabama jail in April, has been charged with murder in the death of the corrections officer who helped him leave.
Corrections officer Vicky White and Casey White went on the run after the jail escape from Lauderdale County Detention Center in Florence, Alabama, leading law enforcement on an 11-day manhunt that put the tight-knit town on edge.
Authorities said at the time that Vicky and Casey White had a “special relationship” but were not related.
Casey and Vicky White were eventually caught after a chase that ended in a crash in Evansville, Indiana. After the crash, Vicky White was taken to the hospital for a gunshot wound, where she later died.
An indictment alleges that Casey White caused Vicky White’s death “in the course of and in furtherance of committing escape in the first-degree.” Chris Connolly, Lauderdale County district attorney, said a warrant issued on a grand jury indictment was served to Casey White Monday.
Casey White’s defense attorney, Mark McDaniel, said in a statement to AL.com that his client will enter a plea of not guilty to the felony murder charge.
“The defense team will file a number of pre-trial motions including a motion for the state to provide the defense team with a copy of the autopsy of Vicky White. After receiving the results of the autopsy, the defense team will file additional motions stating the relief sought,” McDaniel said.
Additional members of White’s legal team including Robert Tuten, Nick Lough, and Marcus Helstowski told NewsNation PRIME they weren’t able to discuss many details until the actual trial.
“We can’t discuss our strategy at this point. We would love to tell you everything right now, but we just can’t. These are things that the state bar will not let us discuss,” Tuten said.
“Everybody wants to talk about trial right now. But this is just this is the early stages of this. There’s some serious questions that are out there. We understand that the public has some serious questions,” Lough said.
Helstowski emphasized the importance to know that Casey White was not the individual that shot that Vicky White.
“Casey will plead not guilty. We will certainly hold the state to their burden of proof which is beyond a reasonable doubt on this matter. And we will make sure that Casey’s constitutional rights are taken care of during the course of these proceedings,” Helstowski said.
Casey White is currently in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections, serving a 75-year sentence. He is also charged with capital murder for the 2015 slaying of Connie Ridgeway. Police found Ridgeway stabbed to death in her living room in what they said was a murder-for-hire.