A Hallmark movie, this is not.
If you want an alternative to the warm-and-fuzzy fare that typically dominates TV films during the holiday season, look no further.
“Prisoner of Love,” which premiered on the streaming service Tubi on Dec. 14, follows the relationship of Alabama corrections officer Vicky White and convicted murderer Casey White (no relation), who ran away together earlier this year. Their escape from the Lauderdale County Jail sparked a national manhunt that ended 11 days later in Evansville, Indiana.
After the couple’s car crashed amid a police chase, Vicky was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to her head — she later died in a hospital — while Casey was taken into custody, extradited to Alabama and indicted for the murder of Vicky. The indictment alleged that in furthering his escape, Casey caused Vicky’s death. In October, Casey pleaded not guilty to felony murder, but the trial has been postponed.
Officials said the lovers had established a suicide pact, agreeing that, should they be cornered by law enforcement, she would kill herself and he would die in a shootout with police. But he was taken into custody without incident.
On April 29, Vicky — a five-time Employee of the Year honoree — drove away from Lauderdale County jail with Casey hidden in the backseat, and it was later revealed that the two had had a romance blossom betwixt the bars that kept them apart.
Tubi describes “Prisoner of Love” as “inspired by a true story. A corrections officer falls in love with an inmate and helps plot his escape, leaving her hometown to question her choices.”