Netflix released a new documentary called Jailbreak: Love On The Run. It follows the romance between a correctional officer, Vicky White, and an inmate, Casey White. Their romance ended in a prison escape that led to an 11-day manhunt in 2022. Vicky White had worked at the Lauderdale County Detention Center in Florence, Alabama, for 17 years. She was ready for retirement and made sure to go out with a bang. On April 29, 2022, Vicky placed Casey White in the back of her patrol car to take him for a mental health evaluation. When neither returned to the detention center, an alert was sent out that they were missing. A manhunt for the jailbreaker ensued.
Love On The Run
Jailbreak: Love On The Run was directed by Dan Abrams and executive produced by Rachel Stockman. They bring in Vicky White’s friends and former colleagues to uncover how a correctional officer and inmate can form a romantic relationship. Rachel Stockman told Tudum, “What made Vicky’s story so surprising was how trapped she felt and how little her co-workers knew about her private life.” They explained how the documentary was meant to show Casey White as a villain and how he manipulated Vicky to escape. As things progressed, they soon realized how in control Vicky truly was. At the end of filming, it was clear what had happened, and it was something tragic.
The True Story Behind Jailbreak
Vicki White broke Casey White out of the Lauderdale County Detention Center on April 29, 2022. Before that, Casey White had been imprisoned for seven counts of attempted murder and robbery. In 2019, he was convicted and sentenced to 75 years in prison. He was serving his sentence out in Jefferson County, Alabama when he confessed to the fatal stabbing of a 59-year-old woman. In 2020, he was transferred to the Lauderdale County Detention Center to be arraigned. This was when he encountered Vicky White, and according to Sherrif Rick Singleton, they remained in contact for the next two years via phone.
The sheriff said Vicky and Casey had formed a “special relationship.” In the weeks leading up to the jailbreak, Vicky sold her home and took out money from several different banks. She also went on a shopping spree for men’s clothing and adult items. The night before, on April 28, Vicky stayed at a hotel and parked an orange Ford Edge she bought with a fake name just ten minutes from the detention center. On the day of, around 9:30 a.m., Vicky reported to another officer she was taking Casey to a mental health exam in court. In reality, they drove to the Ford Edge she had previously parked and fled the area.
For the next 11 days, a search ensued for the jailbreakers. On May 1, 2022, the US Marshals Service offered $10,000 for any information regarding the two’s whereabouts. At first, the agency described Vicky as “missing and endangered.” However, they quickly realized she had planned the escape, and they issued a warrant for her arrest. On May 9, they were spotted at a car wash in Evansville, Indiana. Authorities quickly closed in on them and staked out the motel they were staying in. As soon as Vicky and Casey left, the police began pursuit. It came to an end when a police officer rammed his vehicle into theirs, flipping it on their side.
Final Thoughts
Authorities found Vicky White shot in the head inside the car, and Casey White was taken into custody. Coroners determined Vicky’s death to be a suicide. Inside their vehicle, police found handguns, a rifle, magazines, $29,000 cash, and wigs. Casey was charged with escape in the first degree and transferred to the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer, Alabama. Former corrections nurse Kylie O’Bryant said, “She gave [Casey] 11 days of freedom,” in Jailbreak: Love on the Run, “and it cost her her life.” White pleaded guilty to the escape in exchange for prosecutors dropping the felony murder charge related to Vicky White’s death. He accepted the maximum sentence of life without parole.
