Casey White, 38, was seen on CCTV in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs being driven in a patrol car by Vicky White, 56, a corrections official. She had told her bosses and colleagues that she was taking him to court for a mental health evaluation, but authorities soon discovered that no evaluation or hearing was scheduled that day.
Casey White was returned to Alabama on Tuesday night to attend an arraignment, where he was charged with first-degree escape, in addition to the capital murder charges he already faces. He was later transferred to William E. Donaldson Correctional Center in Bessemer, Alabama, just over 100 miles south of Lauderdale County.
In the days following the escape, officials learned that Casey White and Vicky White, who are not related, had formed a “special relationship”. Here’s what we know about Casey White’s violent history, past escape attempt and physical size.
Murder defendant already serving 75-year sentence
White’s criminal history dates back a decade. Court documents alleged he struck his brother in the face and head with an ax-hammer handle, which landed him in jail in 2012 for more than three years.
According to the Marshals Service, White threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and sister in 2015 if he got out of jail and said he wanted the police to kill him. The agency said it informed its “potential targets” of the threat after his escape and took protective measures.
Josh Goan was one of the victims in the 2015 case. He said White broke into his truck, stole his gun and then used the gun to hijack his neighbor and the baby of the neighbor. Goan was a witness at the trial and told CNN it was a surreal experience to see how little remorse White had.
“I was very pleased that they gave him enough time that by the time – if he ever went out – there was nothing more he could do. I took safety in there and I definitely lost some peace (since the escape),” he said before the couple were captured.
White’s escape, Goan said, was “a terrible thing for society”.
White was serving his 75-year sentence at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Jefferson County.
There he came into contact with Vicky White, who was working as an assistant director of corrections for Lauderdale County.
He was taken back to the Lauderdale Detention Center on February 25, Sheriff Rick Singleton said.
A trusted inmate who had previously attempted to escape
This was not White’s first escape attempt, nor the first time he had won the trust of correctional officers.
In 2020, while White was being held in Lauderdale County Detention Center, authorities learned he was planning to escape from jail and take a hostage, Singleton said.
“We shook him off and found a rod in his possession — a rod is a prison knife — and we got him back. We immediately turned him over to the Department of Corrections,” Singleton said.
“I wasn’t shocked that Casey escaped,” attorney Dale Bryant said. “I was shocked to find out who he escaped with. I had never heard of her before. But it wasn’t the first escape attempt Casey had made when he was in Lauderdale County facing these charges.”
Prior to the current breakout, Casey White and Vicky White had developed a “special relationship,” which included extra food, Singleton said.
“We were told Casey White had special privileges and was treated differently at the facility than other inmates,” he said.
Similarly, Casey White had previously won the trust of officials at the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office.
A towering man with white supremacist tattoos
Bryant, the attorney, said WAFF White’s height makes him stand out.
“I’m 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, and he makes me feel small,” he said.
He also noted that White suffered from mental illness and abused drugs. Still, he said, White was a “decent person” when taking medication in a supervised environment and said he could even be friendly at times.
“(He’s) one of the few clients I’ve had who never held back and tried to lie to me about something,” he said. “He just put it on the table.”
Sheriff Singleton said before White was captured that he could be especially dangerous if he didn’t take his medication.
“Casey White is a dangerous man. He’s supposed to be on drugs. Whether he does or not, we don’t know. He didn’t leave prison with it,” he said. “When he goes off his medication, he can be extremely dangerous.”
CNN’s Nadia Romero, Jaide Timm-Garcia and Michelle Watson contributed to this report.