Killer captured in Missouri after week on the run

Jacob Morley, a 28-year-old convicted murderer, was captured near Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday morning after evading law enforcement for more than a week. Officials confirmed his arrest on Wednesday, ending a search that spanned parts of Tennessee, Illinois, and Missouri.

Morley was serving a life sentence at the Northwest Correctional Complex in northwestern Tennessee when he fled the prison property on the night of Oct. 25. Surveillance video showed him stealing a truck from a farm near the prison shortly after his escape. He abandoned that vehicle later, near Marion, Illinois, which is roughly 127 miles from the prison.

Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich said investigators believe Morley walked about three miles from the abandoned truck to a farm near Marion. The area along Route 13, where Morley was seen walking, includes fields and woods that made it difficult for him to be spotted. Morley is suspected of stealing clothes and three firearms, including two rifles and a shotgun, from that farm.

Evidence at the Illinois farm indicated that Morley spent time in a shed used periodically by hunters. Sheriff Diederich stated that Morley drank beer and prepared garlic bread and other food during his stay. He also left behind a handwritten note apologizing to the farm owner before stealing the second truck.

The route Morley took after leaving the Illinois farm remains unclear. He was eventually located in the Kansas City area, more than 350 miles from where he was last seen in Illinois. The Missouri State Highway Patrol was informed on Tuesday morning that Morley was possibly traveling west on Interstate 70. Troopers used roadside cameras and a helicopter to track him down. His truck got stuck in the mud, allowing authorities to apprehend him.

Morley was compliant when arrested and was transported to the Lafayette County jail in Lexington, Missouri. A deputy U.S. marshal interviewed him at the jail on Tuesday. According to a probable cause affidavit, Morley admitted to escaping the Tennessee prison, stealing the truck in Marion, and taking the three firearms.

Charges have been filed in two federal courts. In Tennessee, Morley was charged with one count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. In Missouri, he was charged on Tuesday with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. No charges have been filed in Missouri state courts, according to online records.

District Attorney General Danny Goodman Jr. in Tennessee said he plans to file additional charges. It is unclear when Morley will be returned to Tennessee. Kim Wheeler-Elder, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said all available information regarding Morley’s whereabouts while on the run has been released.

Morley was originally convicted in 2022 of killing his co-worker, Cody Birchfield. Birchfield’s body was found in a box under Morley’s home after he had been missing for several weeks. Morley was convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism, and evading arrest after leading officers on a chase that ended in North Carolina.