(NewsNation) — Escaped inmate Casey White is now back in Alabama. The capital murder suspect and former fugitive was appearing in a special court hearing.
Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said a judge was placed on standby for White’s arraignment Tuesday night.
As he entered the courthouse, reporters asked Casey White if he loved Vicky White, the late corrections officer accused of aiding his escape, but he did not answer.
Once the hearing ends, Singleton said, White will then be taken to the Alabama Department of Correction, not the county jail investigators say he escaped from on April 29 with help from Vicky White.
White was transported to Florence, Alabama, from Evansville, Indiana, where he was captured Monday after a rollover crash.
Investigators found the couple carrying $29,000 in cash, four handguns and an AR-15 rifle. They were prepared for a shootout when they were captured, according to Vanderburgh County, Indiana Sheriff Dave Wedding.
After trailing them through three states, the U.S. Marshals Service tracked Casey White and Vicky White to a motel across from the sheriff’s office in Evansville on Monday. The duo took off when they saw authorities there, leading U.S. marshals and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office on a chase that ended in the rollover crash initiated by a pit maneuver by investigators.
Investigators say Vicky White shot herself at the scene and was rushed to the hospital. Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear confirmed to a NewsNation affiliate that Vicky White died by suicide.
Wedding said Casey White showed no remorse over the death of Vicky White, who authorities said he shared a special relationship with for the past two years. Wedding said Casey White also told investigators after his capture that “he was probably going to have a shootout at the stake of both of them losing their lives.” The sheriff continued that the crash initiated by a pit maneuver likely “saved many lives.”
“We believe that they were leaving room 150 for good and traveling elsewhere,” Wedding said during an appearance Tuesday night on NewsNation’s “Banfield.”
Wedding also said he believes the couple had camping gear with them.
At the time of his escape, Casey White was charged with capital murder for a deadly stabbing and was already serving a 75-year sentence for a 2015 crime spree that involved a home invasion, carjacking and police chase.
“I spoke to her mother. Her mother has been extremely distraught over the last several days, very stressed out,” Singleton said on NewsNation’s “Banfield,” referring to Vicky White’s mother.
“They’re good people, and you know, they are just as shocked as the rest of us that her daughter would do something like this,” Singleton added.
It is unclear who will get the money that Casey and Vicky left behind during the police pursuit, however, Casey’s mother will likely be the next person in line once it is released, according to Singleton.
