Tennessee murder fugitive caught in Missouri after ten-day escape

Jacob Morley, a Tennessee inmate serving a life sentence for murder, was arrested near Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday. This ended a ten-day search for the 28-year-old man who slipped through a prison fence on October 25. Troopers located Morley after he abandoned his vehicle in a muddy area while traveling west on Interstate 70.

Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in the far northwestern corner of Tennessee. Surveillance video showed him stealing a truck from a farm near the prison in his prison clothes. He later abandoned that vehicle and walked approximately three miles to a farm in Marion, Illinois. That location is roughly 127 miles from his point of escape.

Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich stated that investigators found evidence Morley stayed in a shed used by hunters. They recovered beer cans and the remnants of garlic bread. Morley left a handwritten note apologizing for the intrusion before stealing a second truck, some clothing, and three firearms from the Marion property.

Security cameras captured Morley walking away from the first abandoned truck. However, Diederich noted that the terrain along Route 13 consisted of fields and woods, making it difficult for observers to spot him. It remains unclear why Morley traveled to Marion or why he was driving more than 350 miles away near Kansas City.

Diederich said there is no evidence Morley received help during his time on the run. He described the route to Marion as a mystery. The Missouri State Highway Patrol received a tip on Tuesday morning that Morley might be in the Kansas City area. Officers found him compliant when they made the arrest.

Morley was taken to the Lafayette County jail in Lexington, Missouri. A deputy U.S. marshal interviewed him there on Tuesday. According to a probable cause affidavit, Morley admitted to escaping the Tennessee prison and stealing the vehicles and guns. No charges have been filed against him in Missouri courts yet.

In Tennessee, federal court documents show Morley was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He was also charged Tuesday in federal court in Missouri with being a felon in possession of a firearm. District Attorney General Danny Goodman Jr. said he plans to file additional charges in Tennessee. It is not yet determined when Morley will be returned to the state.

Morley was convicted in 2022 of killing his co-worker, Cody Birchfield. Birchfield’s body was discovered in a box under Morley’s home after the victim had been missing for weeks. Morley led officers on a chase that ended in North Carolina when deputies first arrived at his residence. He was found guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism, and evading arrest.