Casey White sentenced to LIFE after breaking out of Alabama jail with ... trends now
Convicted felon Casey White has been sentenced to life after he broke out of jail with the help of his prison guard lover – and led cops on a two-week-long manhunt.
White, 38, appeared at Lauderdale County Courthouse in Florence, Alabama, on Thursday, charged with first-degree escape after the incident in April 2022.
He was handed life in prison, the maximum sentence possible for the offense, after a plea deal saw a murder charge against his lover Vicky White dropped.
Addressing the court, he said: 'I feel like the most hated man in the world. I loved Vicky and I wouldn't drag her name through the mud for anyone in this courtroom.
'We just wanted a new life together because she knew the truth. I can handle the truth because I know who I am.
'I chose this road. It's cost me my life and freedom. I apologize to her family because she said that's the only thing she regretted - leaving her family.'
Vicky, 56, was the Assistant Director of Corrections for Lauderdale County Detention Center at the time and helped White hide from authorities for more than two weeks.
Casey White, 38, arrives at Lauderdale County Courthouse in Florence, Alabama, on Thursday, charged with first-degree escape after the incident in April 2022
Lauderdale County Circuit Judge Benjamin Graves told White: 'It's not my place to give you Grace. But I hope that for you. You are not the most hated man in America, but you have taken legal responsibility for this crime.'
He imposed an order which means White cannot get any financial gain from his crimes - for example a book or a movie deal.
Attorneys for White told the judge that 'as good and kind' as Vicky was, 'she had a key to get him out, ' adding 'he wasn't responsible for everything'.
Vicky's mother wanted to address the court but was 'too emotional', with White saying: 'Vicky took me out because she said, 'right was right. Wrong is wrong.'
'She was the first person to show me affection. First person to give me a hug in six years.'
White was initially charged with Vicky's murder, after she turned the gun on herself as they were attempting to flee police on May 9, 2022.
The couple evaded authorities using wigs and other disguises for two weeks before they were tracked down to a motel in Evansville, Indiana.
Authorities closed in on them after the manager of a car wash reported that a man closely resembling the 6-foot-9, 260-pound White had been recorded by a surveillance camera getting out of a pickup truck.
He was handed life in prison, the maximum sentence possible for the offense, after a plea deal saw a murder charge against his lover Vicky White dropped
White had been serving a 75-year prison sentence for attempted murder and other offenses when he escaped with his prison guard lover Vicky White (pictured)
Investigators said they located the pickup, then learned that the pair may have switched to a Cadillac, which was then spotted outside a motel nearby.
Prior to the pair's car being run off the road by police during the pursuit, Vicky can be heard on tape saying, 'Airbags are gonna go off and kill us.'
'Airbags are going off. Let's get out, and run,' she says to her partner.
She is then heard shrieking during what sounds like a crash. Sirens are blaring in the background.
The remainder of the file sounds like law enforcement is tending to the crash site and to Vicky, who is still holding onto her gun.
Someone at the scene can be heard saying: 'She's got a gun in her hand, and she's breathing. She's got her finger on the trigger.'
White's initial charge of murder was based on the idea that Vicky's death occurred while he was committing a crime – escaping from jail.
At a hearing on May 4, this year, White acknowledged and apologized to Vicky's mother when entering his plea before telling her: 'It wasn't supposed to go that way'.
He added that they were 'in love' and had 'planned to start a new life together if the escape had been successful.
Vicky had put in for retirement ahead of the escape, and the day of the breakout, April 29, was her last day of work.
Sheriffs in Indiana are seen investigating the crumpled wreck of the car, in which Vicky White killed herself
The couple had just $29,000 of the $90,000 Vicky had withdrawn when they were caught by officers
Casey White can be seen looking over his shoulder, as Vicky White lay dying in the car
Sheriffs are seen pulling Vicky White, 56, from the car after the ran the Cadillac off the road. Initially they called for negotiators after believing Casey had a gun
Video surveillance from April 29, 2022, showed White and Vicky getting into a patrol car that they would later ditch a few miles away in a parking lot.
She had claimed that she was taking him for a mental health valuation, and they fled across three states before being tracked down.
Dashboard and body camera footage from Indiana showed the dramatic moment that fugitive Casey White was taken into custody and Vicky's body was dragged dying from their car.
It shows Casey being dragged out of the crumpled car by his hands, as officers kneel on him to handcuff him.
His denim shirt is ripped, but he appears otherwise unharmed, with his black sunglasses still on his face.
As police approach the car, one officer says: 'We need to clear some of this s***' to get to her.'
Another officer, kneeling by the overturned car, says: 'She's still got the gun in her hand.'
One adds: 'She's still breathing. I can see her chest rising. Finger still on the trigger. She could pull that trigger again.'
A third video released by the police showed them searching a Ford truck, which the couple abandoned before switching to their Cadillac.
The escaped prisoner, standing 6ft 9 tall, towers over the Indiana officers who arrested him after the car he was driving was run off the road
White, 38, is seen in dashboard camera footage released by police in Indiana being taken into custody in May
Vickey White was placed on the ground after being pulled out of the car. Officers said that she still had a gun in her hand
Vicky White was taken out of the car and laid on the grass beside the wreck
An officer searches the vehicle, then tells his colleague: 'There's no
