An Alabama inmate whose escape from jail last spring set off a nationwide manhunt pleaded guilty on Thursday to the escape in exchange for the state dropping a felony murder charge in the death of the former corrections officer who helped him.

The inmate, Casey White, 39, appeared for a routine status hearing on Thursday morning at the Lauderdale County courthouse in northern Alabama. In a surprise move to both the prosecution and his own defense team, Mr. White pleaded guilty to a first-degree escape charge.

“You’re probably just as surprised by today’s turn of events as we are,” Robert Tuten, a lawyer for Mr. White, said after the hearing.

Mr. White and the officer, Vicky White, who was no relation, were on the run for nearly two weeks after leaving the Lauderdale County Jail in Florence, Ala., for a courthouse appointment that was later revealed to be a ruse.

A police pursuit ended in a car crash in Indiana on May 9, 2022, with Mr. White surrendering and Ms. White, 56, dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Under Alabama law, people may be charged with felony murder if they cause someone’s death while committing another crime — in this case, escape in the first degree.

At the time of his escape, Mr. White was awaiting trial on two counts of capital murder in a murder-for-hire killing from 2015. He was also already serving a 75-year sentence for previous convictions for robbery, burglary, carjacking and kidnapping, as well as a six-year sentence on a domestic violence charge.

Mr. White was supposed to have two deputies with him at all times — a rule that Ms. White was supposed to enforce, authorities said.

Ms. White was a highly respected senior figure at the jail, according to authorities, and she fled with Mr. White on what was supposed to be her last day of work before retiring.

Chris Connolly, the Lauderdale County district attorney, told News 19, a local CBS affiliate, that Mr. White approached him at the status hearing to talk about the plea deal, which included Mr. White agreeing to the maximum sentence for first-degree escape — life in prison. He also agreed not to contact Ms. White’s family, directly or indirectly.

Mr. White apologized to Ms. White’s mother when he entered his plea, according to News 19, and told her that “it wasn’t supposed to go that way” and that the two were in love.

A sentencing hearing is set for June 8.

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