Tennessee Murder Suspect Captured After 10-Day Escape

Jacob Morley, a Tennessee prisoner serving a life sentence for murder, was apprehended Tuesday near Kansas City, Missouri, ending a ten-day search. Authorities are still determining how the 28-year-old evaded detection for so long while traveling hundreds of miles from his point of origin.

Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tennessee on October 25. He slipped through a fence while wearing prison clothes and stole a truck from a nearby farm. Surveillance footage showed him walking away from that vehicle in the Marion, Illinois area, which is approximately 127 miles from the prison.

Sheriff Jeff Diederich of Williamson County stated that Morley likely walked about three miles to a farm in Marion. Investigators found evidence that the inmate stayed in a shed used by hunters, where he consumed beer and prepared garlic bread. He left a handwritten note apologizing for stealing a second truck from the property, along with clothes and three firearms: two rifles and a shotgun.

The path from Marion to Kansas City remains unclear. Morley was spotted on Interstate 70 in the Kansas City area on Tuesday morning. Troopers used roadside cameras and a helicopter to track his vehicle, which became stuck in mud. He was compliant during his arrest.

Morley was taken to the Lafayette County Jail in Lexington, Missouri. A deputy U.S. marshal interviewed him there, and he admitted to the escape and the thefts in Marion. No charges have been filed in Missouri courts yet, though he was charged federally in Missouri with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In Tennessee, Morley faces one count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. District Attorney General Danny Goodman Jr. said he plans to file additional charges. It is not yet clear when Morley will be returned to Tennessee.

Morley was convicted in 2022 of killing his co-worker, Cody Birchfield. Birchfield’s body was found in a box under Morley’s home after he disappeared. Morley was also convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism, and evading arrest.