Missouri police capture escaped Tennessee killer

Jacob Morley, a 28-year-old man serving a life sentence for the murder of a co-worker, was arrested on Tuesday near Kansas City, Missouri. His capture ended a ten-day manhunt that began after he escaped a Tennessee prison on Oct. 25. Authorities are still determining how he traveled hundreds of miles to reach the Midwest without detection.

Morley was located after Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers tracked him using roadside cameras and a helicopter. His escape vehicle, a stolen truck, got stuck in the mud, bringing his flight to a halt. Officers found two rifles and a shotgun inside the vehicle when they apprehended him. He was compliant during the arrest and was taken to the Lafayette County jail in Lexington, Missouri.

Investigators believe Morley stopped at a farm near Marion, Illinois, during his journey. The location is approximately 127 miles from the Tennessee prison where he escaped. Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich said evidence showed Morley spent time in a shed used by hunters. He drank beer, prepared garlic bread, and left a handwritten apologetic note after stealing the truck from the property. He is also suspected of taking clothes and the three firearms from that farm.

Diederich believes Morley walked roughly three miles to the farm after abandoning a different truck he had stolen immediately after escaping the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tennessee. Surveillance video captured Morley walking away from the first truck and along Route 13. Diederich noted that the terrain, which included fields and woods, made it difficult for officers to spot him on foot. It remains unclear why Morley chose to travel to Marion or why he was driving near Kansas City, which is more than 350 miles away.

Morley was convicted in 2022 of killing co-worker Cody Birchfield. Birchfield’s body was found in a box under Morley’s home after the victim had been missing for several weeks. When officers arrived at Morley’s home, he led them on a chase that ended in North Carolina. He was convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism, and evading arrest. He began serving his life sentence after those convictions.

Morley escaped the Northwest Correctional Complex on Oct. 25 by slipping through a fence while wearing his prison clothes. Surveillance video showed him stealing a truck from a farm near the prison immediately after crossing the fence. Kim Wheeler-Elder, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, stated in a text message that all available information regarding his whereabouts has been released. Diederich said there is no evidence that Morley received help from anyone while he was on the run.

A deputy U.S. marshal interviewed Morley at the Lafayette County jail on Tuesday. Morley admitted to escaping the Tennessee prison, stealing the truck in Marion, and taking the three firearms, according to a probable cause affidavit. Before his arrest, he was charged in federal court in Tennessee with one count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. On Tuesday, he was also charged in federal court in Missouri with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. No other charges have been filed in Missouri courts according to online records.

Tennessee District Attorney General Danny Goodman Jr. said in a phone interview that he plans to file additional charges against Morley. It is not yet clear when Morley will be returned to Tennessee to serve his sentence. The Lafayette County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding his current status in the local jail.