Vicky White sent Casey White’s kids gifts, visited his grandchild, mother says: ‘He loved her’

Casey White is heartbroken by the death of Vicky White, an Alabama jail supervisor who broke the capital murder suspect out of jail two weeks ago and then shot herself in the head as police in Indiana closed in on them.

Connie Moore, 62, said she’s talked to her 38-year-old son twice since he was recaptured Monday and sent back to William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility, where he is serving 75 years for a 2015 crime spree.

“He was crying and hurt and can’t figure out why he can’t have a relationship with anybody,’’ Moore said in an interview with AL.com. “He loved her and said they had a good relationship.”

Casey White was convicted in 2019 on a total of nine charges, including trying to kill his ex-girlfriend and kidnapping her two roommates.

Here is full coverage of the search for Vicky White and Casey White

Other charges included first degree robbery, first degree burglary, third degree burglary, breaking and entering a vehicle, animal cruelty for shooting a dog and attempting to elude.

In 2020, Casey White was indicted for capital murder in the Oct. 23, 2015, stabbing death of 59-year-old Connie Jane Ridgeway, who was found slain in the living room of her apartment across the street from Lauderdale County High School’s football field.

He is charged with capital murder during a first-degree burglary, and murder for pecuniary gain - meaning that he was paid to commit the slaying.

The arrest came, said Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly, after an investigator with the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office received a letter in June 2020 from Casey White.

During an interview at the Jefferson County prison, Casey White confessed to the crime, and his statements match certain evidence at the scene that was not released, Connolly said.

Connolly later said he did not know why White decided to come forward and talk with investigators.

Court records indicate prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Casey White, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

Since his confession, records show, Casey White has gone back and forth between Donaldson and the Lauderdale County, and it appears that is when the relationship between him and Vicky White developed.

Moore said the couple met in 2020 when Casey White was sent back to the Lauderdale County Jail after he confessed to the 2015 killing of 59-year-old Connie Ridgeway.

When he returned to state prison, Vicky White started writing to him.

“It just started out as pen pals and as time went on, he talked about how much he loved her and what a good person she was,’’ Moore said.

“With the situation he was in, I was glad,’’ she said. “Everybody needs a pen pal and someone to talk to. I thought it was good.”

Moore said she knew about the relationship but did not know Vicky White’s real name or that she was jailer.

“He always called her his baby or his wife,’’ she said.

“I didn’t really say anything because I thought well, maybe they’ve just got one of these things going between them and I wasn’t trying to discourage him, because I never dreamed of anything becoming of it’' she said.

Moore said she met Vicky White one time.

“She just wanted to visit Casey’s grandbaby,’’ she said. “It sort of seemed odd.”

Casey White has two children – a son and a daughter – and a 2-year-old grandchild.

“Casey called and said she was coming by, and it just happened that fast and she was at the door,’’ Moore said. “She seemed real nice and it was nothing out of the ordinary. She didn’t stay very long. I didn’t know who she was.”

Over the past couple years, Vicky White sent Christmas gifts and birthday gifts to Casey White’s grandchild and his 12-year-old son.

He had talked about Vicky White getting him out jail, but legally.

“He talked about she was going to get a lawyer and do all this and get him out of all that trouble and they were going to be together,’’ she said.

“I said, ‘Well Casey, why in the world would she want to spend that kind of money and it still might not work. I don’t think that’s a good idea unless she’s just got more money than she knows what to do with.’’'

Moore said she didn’t realize the extent of the couples’ involvement until Vicky White broke Casey White out of jail.

She learned about the escape on the news and said that’s also when she learned the identity of his “wife.”

“It was a shock,’’ she said. “I don’t remember nothing for two or three days.”

“But I knew that she wasn’t in no harm,’’ Moore said. “Casey’s not the monster that they’re making him out to be.”

She said her son was diagnosed at age 18 as bipolar and schizophrenic.

“He couldn’t make it on his own. He’s never been on his own,’’ Moore said. “I’ve always took care of him or my parents and sister when they were living.”

“He wasn’t going to do nothing to her, I knew that,’’ she said. “I told the U.S. Marshals that.”

“Then I got to worrying about her killing him,’’ she said.

She said she did not hear from the couple while they were on the run.

Moore said she believes Vicky White was the mastermind behind the escape.

“Casey wasn’t a planner,’’ she said.

Moore found out about the capture and suicide the same way she found out about the escape – from the news.

“They showed everything. If there’d been a shootout, they would have showed both of them getting killed,’’ she said. “It’s ridiculous what all they showed.”

Moore said she granted the interview “because it was important for somebody to speak out for Casey.”

“Beware of mental illness,’’ she said. “He didn’t like to stay on his medicine and his next choice was to self-medicate.”

Moore said she doesn’t believe he was involved in the 2008 death of ex-girlfriend Christy Lynn Shelton McKee, which was ruled suicide, and she said she doesn’t believe he killed Connie Ridgeway.

She said she believes he confessed to that to get out of Donaldson prison, where she said he’s been stabbed three different times during his incarceration.

“I hope they don’t find him guilty,’’ she said. “There’s always two sides to every story and it goes back to mental illness.”

Moore said she hasn’t spoken with her son about any details of their time on the run or Vicky White’s suicide.

A graveside service for Vicky White is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Center Hill Cemetery in Lexington.

Her obituary said she leaves behind her mother, Pat Davis, as well as two brothers, a nephew and extended family.

Moore said she will not be in attendance.

“My heart goes out to her family,’’ she said. “They just don’t know how bad it hurts me that it hurts them.”

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.