Guard who helped lover escape prison dies after police hunt
America gripped by tale of officer who fell in love with man accused of murder and drove him to freedom
A LOVESTRUCK US prison guard who went on the run with a violent inmate has died from a gunshot wound to the head following a 10-day manhunt that riveted America.
Vicky White, 56, and accused murderer Casey White, 38, who were not related, were arrested in Evansville, Indiana, after crashing their car into a ditch during a police chase on Monday.
Police initially said the prison officer had died from a self-inflicted wound. However, yesterday officials admitted they had not formally determined which of the pair pulled the trigger. An autopsy is pending.
The inmate suffered minor injuries and is back in jail, where he is serving a 75-year sentence.
The tale of the retiring prison officer who apparently sprung her lover from an Alabama cell has gripped the country.
“I had every bit of trust in Vicky White. She has been an exemplary employee. What in the world provoked her, prompted her to pull a stunt like this? I don’t know. I don’t know if we’ll ever know,” said Rick Singleton, the Alabama sheriff leading the case.
Chris Swecker, a former FBI assistant director, told CNN this was a case of someone “looking for love in the wrong places”.
“You have this guard falling in love with a prisoner who probably groomed her over a period of time,” he said.
The prison officer had told colleagues on April 29 that she was driving the inmate to court for a mental health evaluation.
It later emerged there was no such evaluation scheduled for White, who was jailed for crimes including kidnapping, burglary and attempted murder.
Officers received a tip on Monday that the couple were staying at a hotel in Indiana, almost 300 miles from the scene of their jailbreak.
Surveillance officers spotted Vicky White, disguised in a wig, and gave chase. A US Marshals squad ultimately drove the couple’s beige Cadillac into a grassy ditch.
Casey White reportedly told officers at the scene: “Please help my wife. She just shot herself in the head and I didn’t do it.” The couple were not married, officials said.
Detectives’ sketches of the pair noted the height difference between the 6ft 9ins murder suspect and his suspected lover, a full foot shorter, at 5ft 4ins.
Casey White was awaiting trial over the fatal stabbing of a 58-year-old woman in 2015, and could face the death penalty if convicted.
The pair were carrying $29,000 in cash, four handguns and an AR-15 rifle when they were captured, officials said.
Vicky White’s family said they were stunned by her actions. She had worked at the Lauderdale County jail for 16 years with a spotless record.