Killer who escaped Tennessee prison captured after week-long manhunt
Jacob Allen Morley was serving a life sentence for murder before he escaped over a prison fence.
**Killer who escaped Tennessee prison captured after week-long manhunt**
US authorities have taken back into custody a convicted murderer who broke out of a Tennessee prison more than a week ago.
Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was serving a life sentence for killing his colleague in 2022 when he escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, about 90 miles (145 km) north of Memphis.
The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) said security video showed Morley, dressed in his prison uniform, getting through the prison fence at about 11:30pm on 25 October, before later stealing a vehicle from a nearby farm.
On Wednesday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said Morley was in custody after an operation involving local, state and federal agencies.
In a statement, the TBI said investigators had received a tip that Morley was hiding on a property in Illinois, from which a truck had also been stolen.
The truck’s licence plate was then traced using automatic plate-reader technology as it travelled through Missouri, where local officers were sent to track it.
Morley was arrested by Missouri State Highway Patrol "without incident" in Carroll County at 11:34am local time on Tuesday. The TBI said three firearms that had previously been reported stolen were also recovered from the vehicle.
After his escape, Morley was placed on the TBI’s most wanted list, and the TDOC offered a reward of up to $2,500 (£1,900) for information leading to his arrest. On Wednesday, that reward was raised by $15,000.
The TBI said members of the public had supplied information during the investigation, but did not say whether the reward had been paid.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the manhunt involved officers from the Kansas City Police Department, Independence Police Department, the FBI, US Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations.
Morley was convicted of first-degree murder over the killing of his colleague Cody Birchfield in 2022.
Morley was convicted of first-degree murder over the death of his colleague Cody Birchfield in 2022. He was sentenced in June 2025. His request for a new trial was denied in May.
According to Carter County court records reviewed by the BBC, Birchfield’s body was found in a metal box under Morley’s home.
A pathology report cited in court said Birchfield died "as a result of a gunshot wound to the back of the head". Bullet casings matched a gun found in Morley’s house.
In her victim impact statement to the court, Birchfield’s sister said the two had formed a friendship while Birchfield was training Morley at the pallet manufacturing company where they both worked.
In addition to murder, Morley was also convicted of vandalism, tampering with evidence, aggravated burglary and evading arrest.
This was not the first time Morley had led law enforcement on a manhunt. His arrest in 2022 followed a police chase that crossed state lines into North Carolina.