Son of Casey White victim Connie Ridgeway demands ‘justice’ for mom after fugitive ‘murderer’ and guard lover are CAUGHT

THE son of Casey White victim Connie Ridgeway is demanding justice for his mom after the convict and his guard “lover” Vicky White were caught by police after a dramatic manhunt.

Austin Williams, 42, said he and his family fought for years to bring awareness to his mother’s 2015 murder – but it wasn’t until 2020 that White confessed.

Andrew WhiteAustin Williams is demanding justice after his mother’s alleged killer was captured by police following a nationwide manhunt[/caption]

The Mega AgencyCasey White and his alleged lover, former corrections officer Vicky White, were captured after crashing their vehicle in Indiana, said police[/caption]

White was charged with capital murder for his role in the 59-year-old’s death in September 2020.

“When you go through something that horrible, I think, in a way, you get used to it,” said Williams. “You’re struggling every day; you don’t realize how much you’re struggling because of how it is, right?”

When White allegedly confessed, Williams said it “was like a huge weight was lifted off.”

However, White would plead not guilty to Ridgeway’s murder by reason of mental disease during his October 2020 arraignment. 

He was held at the Lauderdale County Jail, where he began communicating with Vicky White and allegedly sparking a romantic relationship, according to authorities. 

When the two escaped on April 29, Williams said he was in “total shock.”

“I didn’t even know how to respond. I spend a lot of time grieving, but I’m at the ‘mad’ part now. How is this possible?”

Now that White has been caught, Williams said that he and his family still have a change to get justice for his mother

“Wow, it’s a miracle. It’s huge. So glad we still have the chance to get justice for Connie,” he said.

A GoFundMe page was created by the family to establish a foundation in Ridgeway’s honor.

MANHUNT OVER

Casey White and Vicky White were taken into custody after taking authorities on a brief car chase in Evansville, Indiana that only lasted “less than a few minutes”, said Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding.

“Casey White was driving that vehicle, Vicky White was a passenger. During the pursuit, the pickup truck got wrecked. Casey White surrendered. Vicky White has been transported to the hospital for treatment,” said Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton at a press conference right after the duo’s capture.

“What I am very thankful for tonight is that no one was hurt, no citizens were hurt, not law enforcement officers were hurt as a result of this escape.”

Wedding confirmed that Vicky had shot herself and that she is in “very serious” condition at the time.

Hours later, Wedding gave an update on Vicky’s injuries saying that she is in “grave condition.” Vicky would later die from her injuries.

The two were expected to be brought back to Alabama for arraignment on new charges. White has been charged with escape, said Singleton, and Vicky was also facing multiple charges.

“We’ve already made arrangements for the Department of Corrections, he [Casey White] will be brought here for arraignment. If it’s 2 o’clock in the morning, it doesn’t matter. The judge has agreed to come out.”

Singleton said he hoped Vicky would survive so authorities in Alabama could get more answers from her.

“I don’t know the extent of her injuries, but I hope she survives this. We don’t wish any will ill on Vicky in terms of her health or wellbeing but she has some answers to give us.”

You don’t know who you can trust,” he told reporters. “I had every bit of trust in Vicky White. She had been an exemplary employee. And what in the world provoked her, or prompted her, to pull something like this, I don’t know. I don’t know if we’ll ever know.”

The vehicle the two were driving in is believed to have been stolen in Tennessee and was driven nearly 175 miles to Evansville investigators believe. 

LOCAL TIPSTER

Photos of an abandoned blue Ford-F150 were released by US Marshal earlier on Monday. The vehicle was found at a carwash in Evansville. 

James Stinson, who manages the carwash, told NewsNation that he had noticed the truck at been at his business for several days. 

Stinson called local police who told the man that he could have the truck towed, which he did. 

He would later check surveillance footage on Sunday and that’s when Stinson said he noticed White and Vicky near the vehicle and immediately told authorities. 

When asked what he thought of how the manhunt ended, Stinson said he knew that it would turn out this way.

“If a local cop had pulled them over, he [White] would’ve shot them. It took a team of law enforcement to do this,” he said.

Stinson urged viewers that if they “see something, say something. It works.”

INTENSE MANHUNT

The alleged lovers led police on a weeks-long manhunt after the two fled the Lauderdale County, Alabama, jail at around 9.30am on April 29.

Vicky, 56, was captured on surveillance video holding the door open for a shackled White, 38, with a second angle showing them getting into a marked patrol car and driving away.

The sheriff’s squad car seen in the surveillance video was found in the parking lot of a local shopping center, with both Whites nowhere in sight.

The two are not related despite having the same last name.

As the county’s assistant director of corrections, Vicky “was frequently throughout the cell blocks, has contact with all the inmates at one time or another,” Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told CNN.

Through the investigation, detectives learned that Vicky sold her home a month ago and was set to retire from her job as a high-ranking female corrections officer on the day the duo disappeared.

On the day of the prison break, Vicky told her colleagues around 9am that she was taking White, a murder suspect, to the county courthouse for a mental health evaluation.

She also told her coworkers that she felt ill and planned to see a doctor afterward.

No one realized that the two were missing until around 3.30pm.

As the search intensified, police warned the public that the two were considered dangerous and may be armed with an AR-15 rifle, handguns, and a shotgun.

Following their disappearance in northwest Alabama, an arrest warrant was issued for Vicky on charges of permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said.

Singleton told reporters that while it’s clear Vicky “participated” in White’s escape, it’s unclear whether she did so willingly.

The Mega AgencyVicky White died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after police caught up to their overturned vehicle[/caption]

Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s OfficeThe duo led police on a brief chase in Evansville, Indiana[/caption]