By Sohaib Shams
Convicted murderer Jacob Allen Morley, 28, has been recaptured in Missouri after escaping from a Tennessee prison on October 25, authorities announced Wednesday.
Escape and Manhunt
Morley, who was serving a life sentence for the 2022 killing of his colleague Cody Birchfield, breached the fence at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville around 11:30 p.m. on October 25. Security footage showed him wearing his prison uniform and later stealing a truck from a nearby farm. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation added him to its most wanted list and offered a reward that eventually reached $17,500 for information leading to his arrest.
Capture in Missouri
Acting on a tip that Morley was hiding on an Illinois property, investigators tracked a stolen truck’s license plate through automated readers as it traveled through Missouri. Missouri State Highway Patrol officers apprehended Morley without incident in Carroll County at 11:34 a.m. local time on Tuesday. Three stolen firearms were recovered from the vehicle. The operation involved local, state, and federal agencies including the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Background on Morley
Morley was convicted of first-degree murder in June 2025 for shooting Birchfield in the back of the head and hiding the body in a metal box under his home. He was also convicted of vandalism, tampering with evidence, aggravated burglary, and evading arrest. His 2022 arrest followed a multi-state police chase into North Carolina. The Northwest Correctional Complex, which houses up to 1,776 inmates, has faced scrutiny over recent violence, including the murders of five inmates.
