Casey White will not face the death penalty if he is convicted of killing Connie Ridgeway seven years ago in her north Alabama home.

“We will not be seeking the death penalty,” said Chris Connolly, the Lauderdale County District Attorney, at a court hearing today in downtown Florence.

Connolly said that after speaking with Ridgeway’s family he decided not to seek capital punishment. That means White will face life in prison without the possibility of parole if he is found guilty.

White is charged with capital murder, accused of killing Ridgeway at her home in Rogersville on Oct. 23, 2015. Prosecutors say White confessed five years later and claimed that someone paid him to kill Ridgeway.

White’s case got national attention earlier this year after he escaped from the Lauderdale County jail with Vicky White (no relation), who was the assistant director of corrections. The authorities say that Casey and Vicky White had a jailhouse romance, communicating for months from behind bars.

Casey White is also charged with felony murder in Vicky White’s death. He pleaded not guilty in court today. If convicted of felony murder, White faces up to life in prison.

Vicky White shot and killed herself as police in Indiana closed in to arrest the pair after an 11-day manhunt in May.

Connolly brought a murder charge against Casey White, saying he should be held responsible because Vicky White died while he was committing a felony.

Lauderdale County Judge Benjamin Graves did not rule today on the prosecutor’s request for a gag order in both cases.

“As far as the defense is concerned, we believe that’s a matter of discretion for the court,” said Robert Tuten, one of Casey White’s attorneys.

The judge told Connolly that he would have to file additional information to show the court that a gag order is necessary to ensure a fair trial.

A gag order would prohibit the attorneys, police and representatives of the victims and Casey White from talking to the press or speaking publicly about the case, except in the courtroom or official filings.

In a court filing last week, Connolly asked for the order citing “an inordinate amount of coverage from local, State and National media outlets,” and “the potential to taint the potential jury pool.”

The judge said he will need more information to weigh the potential for tainting the jury pool against the First Amendment implications of issuing a gag order.

Judge Graves today agreed to postpone Casey White’s trial for Ridgeway’s killing.

Tuten said that the defense team will not be ready by December because they already have trials scheduled in many other cases. He asked the judge to consider a trial date no sooner than next summer.

“Nobody wants this resolved any faster than Casey White,” Tuten told the judge.

Connolly pointed to the Ridgeway family and said, “This is the most important case in these folks’ world.” Connolly said, pointing to the Ridgeway family.

Connolly again asked the judge to consider first scheduling a trial for Casey White’s escape and the death of Vicky White.

Judge Graves said he’s making the Ridgeway case a priority.

He said he will issue an order soon for the lawyers to submit sample questions for a jury questionnaire that could help him decide whether to grant a change of venue for the trial.

“I want to get this case tried as quickly as we can,” the judge said of the Ridgeway case, which happened nearly seven years ago.