Besides Breaking out of Jail With the Help of His Girlfriend, What Else Did Casey White Do?

In May 2022, Casey White sat in court awaiting his resentencing. The 39-year-old had just been captured after a manhunt that lasted 11 days. On April 29, 2022, he escaped from Lauderdale County Jail in Florence, Ala. with the help of his girlfriend, a corrections officer. He and Vicky White, no relation, had been in a relationship that involved having sex at the jail as well as hours of phone conversations during which they planned a life that could never be.

When the two were finally caught, Vicky took her own life as Casey was taken into custody by authorities. He would later be sentenced to life in prison on top of the time he was already serving. Why was Casey White in jail to begin with? Let's take a look at his crimes.

Casey was arrested in December 2015 after going on a crime spree that covered two counties in Alabama and Tennessee, reported WHNT. It began with a home invasion during which Casey was armed. After that, he proceeded to hijack two different cars at gunpoint, shooting one owner in the arm. When police caught up to Casey, a high-speed chase ensued and ended in a field south of Huntsville after he got one of the stolen cars stuck in some mud.

While incarcerated in the Alabama Department of Corrections system, Casey wrote a letter in June 2020 to authorities wherein he confessed to a murder. This took place in October 2015, two months before Casey was arrested. In this letter, Casey shared details of the crime that only law enforcement were privy to. Unfortunately nothing would come of this case as Casey later recanted his confession.

Connie Ridgeway's son Austin Williams spoke to CNN about his mother, describing her as someone who was always there for her kids even when they didn't have much. She would make sure to save money from her job at Hardee's to give her two sons birthday and holiday presents that were clearly out of her price range. Ridgeway went to church, was incredibly patriotic, and loved her children more than anything. Her death still weighs heavily on their hearts and minds.

Williams told the outlet he last saw his mother in August 2015, right before his birthday. Things were hard for Ridgeway, financially, especially after her second husband died in August 2003. Knowing she was determined to see him for his birthday, Williams asked his brother to send her money for gas. They met halfway between their two homes, in Birmingham, Ala. Williams had no idea that was the last time he would see his mother alive.

Two months later on Oct. 23, 2015, Williams got a call from his brother letting him know something had happened to their mother. After not seeing her for a few days, a neighbor popped over to Ridgeway's place to check on her. That's when they discovered her lifeless body. She had been stabbed multiple times.

A few months after Casey's confession, he decided to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. He then recanted his confession a few months after that. In July 2023, prosecutors decided not to move forward with the case, per Alabama.com. Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly said that "since White is serving a life sentence for a felony murder conviction relating to the escape, there is no need to pursue a capital murder conviction." Ridgeways's death is still an active investigation.