Lauderdale County Sheriff'S Depa, via Agence France-Press -- Getty Images. A prison break in the US has ended after a female prison guard on the run with an inmate she allegedly helped to escape, died as police moved in to arrest them at the end of a 10-day search. The former officer, Vicky White, had been on the run with the inmate, Casey White, a murder suspect to whom she was not related, since April 29, when they left the Lauderdale County Jail in Florence, Ala., for a courthouse appointment that was later revealed to be a fabrication. The case captivated America, triggering media coverage of every twist in the manhunt. North Koreans have eyes yet cannot see; ears yet cannot hear; mouths yet cannot speak, says Jeon. On Monday, Vicky White came out wearing a wig and got into a gray vehicle with Casey White, Northern District of Alabama U.S. The car was seen in the parking lot of a motel where the pair had stayed for about a week, according to Sheriff Dave Wedding of Vanderburgh County, Ind. The two are not related, but they apparently developed a romantic relationship when he was transferred to the jail from the state Department of Corrections (DOC) in 2021 to appear at the county court, according to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton. Marshals Service told Forbes looked like a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. It's been almost a year since police went on an 11-day manhunt for Casey, an inmate from the Lauderdale County Jail in Florence, Alabama, 73 miles west of Huntsville. And then, about two months after they first met, their friendship took on an extra significance. All About Michael Jordan's Parents, Deloris and James R. Jordan, Sr. Renderings Show What Vicky White Might Look Like Now,and Escapee Has White Supremacist Tattoos, The Best Drama Movies on Netflix to Stream Now, Casey White Told Authorities His 'Wife' Had Shot Herself, and Said He Didn't Do It, Dash Cam Footage Shows Casey White's Arrest; Police Say He Planned Shootout with Cops Before Car Wreck, Cold Cases Heat Up: How Advances in DNA Technology Are Helping to Bring Justice for Victims, Everything to Know About the Murdaugh Family Murders, Including Alex's Conviction, Tyre Nichols Was 'Brutalized' by Memphis Police and Had 'Extensive Bleeding,' Say Family Attorneys, the FBI arrested the pair in a trailer park in Victoria County, Texas, Barnett was sentenced to five years in prison. Images Courtesy of Getty Images. We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. The convicted felon whose time on the run ended with his prison-guard girlfriend shooting herself in the head on Monday night was distraught at the death of his . If she did make it out of prison alive, then returning to a life of brokering - and potential arrest again - would have been an extremely risky thing to do. Yet authorities believe it was Vicky White who masterminded the escape. Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star via AP, Escaped Murder Suspect and Prison Officer Had 'Special Relationship,' Says Sheriff, Escaped Inmate Charged with Murder of Vicky White, Prison Guard Who Aided His Escape, Prison Officer Vicky White Dead After Being Rushed to the Hospital as Escaped Inmate Lover Captured, Casey and Vicky White Had Phone Sex During Nearly 950 Calls, Might Have Planned Prison Escape: Sheriff, Ala. Prison Officer Allegedly Helped Suspected Killer Escape Jail and They Might Be in Romantic Relationship, Alabama Prison Officer Vicky White Appears to Have Shot Self as Escaped Murder Suspect Is Captured, Jail Officer's Coworkers 'Devastated' After Allegedly 'Flagrant' Policy Violation Led to Inmate's Escape. A car chase ensued, and police forced the vehicle into a ditch. You can never do this line of work without connections in the military, she says. It is now believed that prison guard, Vicki White, helped the violent convicted felon escape from the Alabama jail. Family turned in convict mistakenly released from jail . A rendering Vicky White, with brown hair, because authorities say she may have dyed her hair. Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office. Jeon, although not fearing for his life, was also feeling deeply frustrated. Once again, what was going through her mind I have no idea. He said they were found with $29,000 in cash and four guns, including semiautomatic weapons and an AR-15. Eventually Jeon told her that not only did he think she should let him help her escape to South Korea, he wanted to go with her. I have been to the river bank several times, and the water level has always been quite low I never knew it could be that deep. On April 29, 2022, the pair left in a sheriffs cruiser that was later found in a lot where Vicky White had apparently parked her SUV in preparation for the escape. Marshals Service said. Alabama jail escapee is extremely dangerous. Lamola's unplanned visit comes after his department has been criticised for the escape of "Facebook" rapist and murderer Thabo Bester from a private prison in Bloemfontein last year. Barnett was sentenced to five years in prison for helping Banks escape. Casey . "It ended the way we knew it would. "It's getting harder very year to pull these things off successfully, with the ubiquitous nature of video surveillance, and the ability of the media and quite frankly social media to get that sort of intelligence out to the public in a real-time manner," he said. And so yeah, it hurts., Sheriff Singleton added that he now believed the pair had been in a romantic relationship, and that Ms. White was just as concerned about coming back and facing her family and her co-workers as she was the charges.. A prison break in the US has ended after a female prison guard on the run with an inmate she allegedly helped to escape, died as police moved in to arrest them at the end of a 10-day search. When you have a family member that makes a bad choice, you know, you dont like them but you still love them. Home; About. Someone had seen them on America's Most Wanted. They are like the sky and the Earth. Did you encounter any technical issues? Lauderdale County Sheriff Alabama jail guard Vicky White fatally shot herself as she and escaped murder suspect Casey White were being chased by law enforcement in Indiana on Monday, ending an. They hid in the mountains for three days until they met a local who lent them his phone. A bizarre drama that riveted America ended in tragedy Monday as a female prison guard arrested with a fugitive ex-con she allegedly helped to escape died after shooting herself as police moved in to nab them in the climax of a 10-day manhunt. Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton, Vicky Whites former boss, told reporters: We got a dangerous man off the street today. Wanted Jail Guard Vicky White Was Caught on Video at Motel, When asked if it was surprising that Vicky White had pulled the trigger, rather than her road-trip buddy, a hardened criminal with a reported death wish, Wedding mused: With criminals and criminal minds, they are very unpredictable. Vicky White, 56, was taken to a hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, while 38-year-old Casey White was taken into custody. She spent most of her time in the area after her release, only . The search narrowed to the area when, hours earlier, a police officer on patrol spotted a Cadillac resembling one that surveillance video had shown the Whites entering. investigators found Vicky Whites rust-colored SUV, she had bought days earlier using a fake identity. US jailbreak drama: Casey White is sentenced to 75 years of imprisonment. Second G4S guard arrested over Bester's escape. Jeons parents, like their parents before them, are farmers. She had been an exemplary employee, and what in the world provoked her, prompted her to pull something like this, I dont know, the visibly shaken Lauderdale sheriff, Rick Singleton, said at a news conference on Monday. Authorities have said that White violated department policy by transporting Casey White alone; protocol calls for two jail guards to escort prisoners. Photo: U.S. We thought it could be the border garrison tightening security having [already] discovered we had escaped from the detention centre, says Jeon, but we were hiding and watching and they were just changing guard We could hear the guards talking as they changed shifts. "She was drawn into this," Morgan said while adding that Vicky was also responsible for the prison escape. A Warner Bros. Morgan believes written and digital evidence of the pair's relationship would also help prosecutors. Sheriff Wedding said that there did not appear to be a reason Mr. White and Ms. White had ended up in Evansville, adding that according to Mr. White, they had been seeking a place to hide and plan their next move. Former prison worker Joyce Mitchell was released from prison Thursday morning after helping two convicted murderers escape years earlier. We die here, not there. But I was exhausted and thinking: Is this how I die, is this where it all ends?. In court documents, Mitchell told authorities that Matt "treated me with respect and was nice to me. The arrest was made thanks to a tip after the couple were spotted at a hotel, Singleton said. I want to help you sister. 0:44. It is highly likely that Kim and Jeons actions will further damage their family's social standing within the North Korean caste system, and that their relatives will be questioned and monitored. Singleton said last week that Vicky White had used an alias to purchase a sport utility vehicle used as the getaway car, and was likely to try to do that again. He had packed two backpacks the night before, containing food and spare clothes, plus a knife and poison. Casey White and Vicky White have been missing since Friday (Pic: Lauderdale County Sheriff) An "extremely dangerous" murder suspect and the female corrections officer who US authorities say helped. Vicky White was a prison guard who helped Casey escape before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Credit: The Mega Agency. Kims move to the labour camp was imminent, and his boss had gone home for a night. But the two never returned, and authorities realised they had disappeared that afternoon. An Indiana coroners office previously ruled in May that Vicky White died by suicide. Car badly damaged. Sign up now. Vicky White, 56, worked nearly 17 years at the jail, where she was second in command and reportedly well-liked by other employees, receiving the jails Employee of the Year award five out of eight years. Singleton said he had no ill feelings for Vicky White and had hoped to get answers from her about her conduct. And what in the world provoked her, or prompted her, to pull something like this, I dont know. Sheriff Singleton said it was unusual for someone her age, 56, to retire four years before her retirement benefits would become available. Under cover of darkness, they leapt through a window, scaled the perimeter fence, and crossed the rice paddies to the river. That did not happen, Sheriff Singleton said at a news conference on May 1. That is a good thing.. (Representational). It was unclear who was driving the vehicle that they were traveling in. They were found 11 years later living as a married couple on a chicken ranch in Texas after a tip came in from the America's Most Wanted TV show. In 1999 . I kept falling and tripping, says Kim, her body weakened by months of detention. "It ended the way we knew it would," he said. A multi-state search for the two men unfolded over the next 22 days. Investigators allege the guard and the inmate had a "special relationship," and that Vicky White's feelings for Casey White caused her to uproot her life. Vicky White's mother Pat Davis said she was in disbelief over that escape. The case attracted national attention, and was the inspiration for Showtime's award-winning miniseries Escape at Dannemora, which was directed and produced by Ben Stiller. No shots were fired by law enforcement officers, and no police or bystanders were hurt. He is never going to see the light of day again," said Rick Singleton, the sheriff of Lauderdale County in Alabama, home to the scene of the original jailbreak. Inmates caught at IHOP after escaping jail. But these relatives also gave him hope of a different future. Security staff at the jail believed there was a credible escape plan involving two other prisoners and "a plan to seriously assault or kill a member of prison staff". Ahead of them lay a high fence that they would have to scale, and the fear that the guards dogs, which they could hear barking, would give them away. No shots were fired by law enforcement officers, and no police or bystanders were hurt. And in February 2006, she smuggled Manard out in a dog crate. Photos show inmate Casey White, left, and Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White. Vicky White and Casey White, who were not related, were arrested in Evansville, Indiana after crashing their car into a ditch as police acting on a tip were in hot pursuit, officials said. Marshals Service reported that Casey White climbed out of the couples last vehicle, a Cadillac, and cried out: Please help my wife. Chad Hunt of the US marshals service, which helps local law enforcement agencies catch fugitives, told CBS News that Casey left the truck at the car wash and switched to a gray Cadillac. He is never going to see the light of day again, Singleton said. Some compared the Whites story to the 2015 escape of convicted murderers Richard Matt and David Sweat from upstate New Yorks Clinton correctional center. After ditching the patrol car, Casey and Vicky fled the state in another vehicle, only to be found a week and a half later in Evansville, Indiana. She needed to find a new way to survive. You may die at the prison camp. Weeks before the two absconded, she filled out retirement papers and ditched her home in a rushed sale for less than half its market value, using the cash to purchase a Ford SUV under an alias, along with mens clothing. RT.ie is the website of Raidi Teilifs ireann, Ireland's National Public Service Media. Jeon began to swim. If I didnt make it that night I would be captured and killed, says Jeon Gwang-jin, 26. Chris Swecker, a former FBI assistant director, told CNN this was a case of someone "looking for love in the wrong places". Vicky White, the Lauderdale County jails assistant director of corrections, was by all accounts a model employee for the first 25 years she worked at the facility. Bester . Investigators allege Vicky White shot herself after the car crashed. Investigators also learned that White had sold her home in the weeks before the escape, and had withdrawn about $90,000 in cash from several banks in the area, Singleton said last week. A Sunday night tip led federal marshals and police to a hotel, where they set up surveillance. Marshals Service via AP; Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office via AP). Vicky and Casey instead went straight to a shopping-center parking lot, according to investigators. Over Prison Guard's Death. Casey White, 38, sustained minor injuries in the crash. It was that Cadillac which officers eventually spotted at a hotel in Evansville, about 270 miles from the Lauderdale jail, where they saw Vicky donning a wig, Hunt told CBS. Farming families have been hit by a poor harvest recently. After Vicky White signed Casey White out of jail for a phantom court appointment, the duo kept a step ahead of investigatorsfleeing Alabama for parts unknown. 3 min read. I knew I had only that night. The pair escaped to a cabin in Tennessee, where authorities captured them two weeks later in a highway chase after a car driven by Manard hit a tree. Fugitive Alabama corrections official Vicky White died of suicide, an Indiana coroner's office said Thursday, backing up authorities' suspicions that she sho. But she was eventually caught out again. (The two are not related.). It appears they were eventually undone by a stolen car. A video grab shows Mr. White, an inmate at the Lauderdale County Detention Facility in Alabama, leaving with Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections. Please help my wife she just shot herself in the head, Hunt quoted Casey as saying when officers closed in, giving a hint as to how the couple saw their relationship. An illustration of the guard and prisoner sneaking out of Onsong Detention Centre, North Korea. After the car crash, Vicky died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The crash occurred in Evansville, Ind., more than 200 miles north of the jail, after the authorities there heard that the Whites were in a vehicle nearby and began pursuing it. The US Marshals Service also said Ms White might have darkened her hair. There, the married woman fell in love with a convicted murderer, John Manard, who was serving a life sentence. Police tracked the vehicle as it left the motel on the morning of May 9, 2022. The pair were finally caught in Indiana, where Vicky White killed herself. At Clinton Correctional Facility in New York State, a love triangle formed between married prison seamstress Joyce "Tillie" Mitchell and two convicted murderers, Richard W. Matt and David Sweat. $25,000. The big break? Terms and Conditions; . Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Ms. White disappeared with Mr. White on the morning of April 29, after she left the jail under the pretext of escorting him to the county courthouse a few blocks away for a mental health evaluation. 2ov Radio. In September 2020, he was charged with capital murder over the brutal stabbing of a 58-year-old woman, the U.S. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. 2023 Cable News Network. The agency released composite images of what she would look like, as well as photos of Casey White's tattoos, including one associated with a white supremacist prison gang. Heres Why, Alabama Fugitive Casey White And Jail Guard Caught After 10-Day Manhunt, Casey White, the Alabama prisoner who escaped with a corrections officer, has been indicted for her murder, Alabama fugitive corrections official Vicky White died of suicide, coroner's office says. The pair temporarily broke out of custody with help from Clinton correctional officer Joyce Mitchell, who purportedly had a sexual relationship with at least one of the escapers and was convicted of facilitating the getaway in events dramatized on the 2018 Showtime miniseries Escape at Dannemora. Never in North Korean history have a prisoner and a guard escaped together. The former officer fatally shot herself, and the inmate surrendered, they said. Vicky was taken to a hospital to be treated for her head wound but died there, the local coroner, Steve Lockyear, told various news media. Ms. White told a booking officer at the jail that, after dropping off Mr. White, she intended to seek medical assistance for herself. But the sheriff struck a different tone when it came to Casey White, celebrating that officials had got a dangerous man off the street. Weve captured them, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said in Evansville, Indiana, a five-hour drive from the Florence, Alabama, lockup the pair had vanished from. According to police, Casey White and Vicky White were in a romantic relationship. Morgan said prosecutors should show surveillance video of Casey and Vicky from within the jail and then you toss in everything that happened during the escape and then those days they were on the run., 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Escaped convict Casey White (pictured) will stand trial for the death of Vicky White, Vicky White was a prison guard who helped Casey escape before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Casey escaped from the Lauderdale County Jail, in Florence, Alabama, Prison escapee Casey Whites special relationship with prison cop Vicky White could seal his murder trial fate, Cops are dishing out free CANNABIS vapes to medical users when neighbours complain about the smell from smoking drugs, I bought a puppy for $500 - the family was so excited after we lost our last dog, what we actually got was heartbreaking. But both hope that their relative independence at the time - Jeon away in the military, Kim estranged from her husband and children - will allow their families to argue they did not know of their plans. Jeon feels the same. We were never able to go wherever we wanted, do whatever we wanted.. All Rights Reserved. Alabama jail guard Vicky White fatally shot herself as she and escaped murder suspect Casey White were being chased by law enforcement in Indiana on Monday, ending an extraordinary 11 days on the run that captivated the nation. If I had been on my own I would have just swum across. There was no such evaluation scheduled. The alleged motive? She helped keep channels open between those who had fled and families left behind. Vicky White, an Alabama prison guard with a spotless record, was suspected of helping long-time criminal Casey White escape custody April 29 on her last day of work before retirement. The U.S. Marshals Service. 8:55 AM EDT, Wed July 13, 2022, Alabama corrections officer breaks protocol with an inmate, now both are missing, accused was committing another dangerous felony. The disappearance was not noticed until about six hours after they had left, according to the Lauderdale County Sheriffs Office. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much As Singleton told it, shortly before the pair went missing, Vicky White had told colleagues on what was supposed to be her last day working at the jail, where she was the assistant director that she was taking detainee Casey White (no relation to her) to a local courthouse for a mental evaluation. A lot of preparation went into this. As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content. I would have trusted her with my life.. She died of a single gunshot wound to the head, and the coroners office ruled the manner of death was suicide. Casey White, a hulking 6-foot-9 inmate decorated with white supremacist tattoos, was serving 75 years for a 2015 crime spree that included, but was not limited to, a home invasion, carjacking, killing a dog, and attempting to kill an ex-girlfriend. Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told CNN a jailbreak like this in our times is a tough mission. And then a light came on about 50 metres away. But the two never returned, and authorities realized they had disappeared that afternoon. She just shot herself in the head, and I didnt do it.. They stumbled out and across the final bit of ground to the barbed wire that marked the border with China. The Edge was later found abandoned in Tennessee, before a tip led authorities to surveillance video from a carwash in Evansville, Indiana, which appeared to show the 6ft 9in, 260lb Caseydriving a 2006 Ford F-150 pickup. She would bribe them to look the other way, and was successful for six years, earning good money in the process - US$1,433-2,149 for each person she helped leave. Casey White, the inmate who escaped from an Alabama prison before getting caught, just got charged over the death of the prison guard who was on the run with him. A felony murder charge indicates the victim died while the accused was committing another dangerous felony, even if the accused did not intend to kill the victim or cause his or her death. Mein Nisinta Seirbhse Poibl na hireann, We need your consent to load this rte-player content. Upon surrendering, Mr. White referred to Ms. White as his wife and said he did not shoot her, according to Mr. Keely. Wherever you go, dont forget me, Kim says quietly. He wasnt taking any chances, and was also taking a gun. The day of their escape, she scheduled multiple van transports to shuttle prisoners to court, leaving Casey Whites transport scheduled separately. You are not human anymore. A grand jury has indicted a former escaped inmate on a felony murder charge in connection to the death of the corrections officer who aided . Once I was prepared to die, nothing scared me, says Jeon. Officers testified that Casey White, who was driving, had his hands outside the window in surrender when they heard the fatal gunshot with which Vicky White took her own life. He was getting special privileges, the sheriff told WAAY 31. I dont know if well ever know.. A lawyer for Mr. White declined to comment. Kim tried to persuade him to leave it behind but Jeon was adamant. Casey White, the inmate who escaped from an Alabama jail with corrections officer Vicky White, has been indicted for felony murder in connection to her death, according to Lauderdale County. A U.S. marshals vehicle collided with their vehicle, causing it to roll over and crash, said Marty Keely, the U.S. marshal for the Northern District of Alabama. Driving north, the pair exchanged vehicles at least twice before reaching Evansville, Indiana, 280 miles away. They both knew the appalling conditions there meant she may never make it out alive. She was sentenced to five years in prison. Looking back, we all lived in a prison. He had begun his mandatory military service - routine tasks such as guarding a statue of North Koreas founder and growing grass for livestock - intending to eventually become a police officer, a childhood dream. A car chase began when the Whites exited the motel, he said at a news conference on Tuesday. Updated Shortly after the indictment, he had been moved to the Lauderdale County jail to await trial for the womans murder. Three escape from Alcatraz. After having the detainee brought out in handcuffs, the guard prepared him for transport herself, a violation of jail policy. The escape kicked off an 11-day manhunt that ended in Evansville, Indiana, where Casey White and Vicky White led authorities on a high-speed chase before their vehicle crashed. "It's getting harder very year to pull these things off successfully, with the ubiquitous nature of video surveillance, and the ability of the media and quite frankly social media to get that sort of intelligence out to the public in a real-time manner," he said. ", "You have this guard falling in love with a prisoner who probably groomed her over a period of time," said Swecker, "to collude with her on this escape.". She shakes her head. Casey was 38 at the time he escaped prison with the help of Vicky, 56, who served as the assistant director of corrections.. On the morning of April 29, 2022, Casey, was seen on surveillance footage being led into a patrol car by Vicky. She then left her patrol car at a shopping center and found another car authorities later discovered in Tennessee, leading to a multi-state manhunt. He knew she was there because of her role in helping their fellow countrymen who had already fled a life of desperation. She had been an exemplary employee. It was just too risky. But with the help of Kims contacts they managed to move from safehouse to safehouse until they finally made it out of China and into a third country. When you go to kyohwaso [prison camp] you are deprived of your citizenship, says Jeon. Authorities say the corrections officer and inmate who vanished together last week from a northern Alabama jail had a "special relationship" stemming back at least two years . Casey Whites attorney did not immediately respond to CNNs request for comment. You dont know who you can trust, Singleton told reporters. Later, Dorr wrote a memoir titled Living with Conviction, and her website says she's now a true crime author. He and his colleagues kept Kim and a few dozen other inmates under surveillance 24 hours a day whilst they awaited trial. I was choking and unable to open my eyes., I told her: We will both die if we go back. Surviving capture wasnt an option. Theirs was an unusual relationship, and certainly not typical for a prisoner and a guard.