Escaped Tennessee killer Jacob Morley recaptured in after nine-day, three-state manhunt

CARROLL COUNTY, MISSOURI: A convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison while serving a life sentence has been recaptured after more than a week on the run. Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was arrested on Tuesday, November 3, following a multi-agency operation that tracked him across state lines.

Authorities said a public tip and automatic licence plate-reader technology helped officers locate the stolen truck he was travelling in. Three firearms that had previously been reported stolen were also recovered from the vehicle.

How did Jacob Morley escape from Tennessee prison?

Morley was serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of his colleague Cody Birchfield when he escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, on October 25.

According to the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), security footage showed Morley wearing his prison uniform as he breached the prison fence at around 11.30 pm. He later stole a vehicle from a nearby farm and disappeared.

Following his escape, Morley was added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's (TBI) most wanted list. The TDOC initially offered a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.

Licence plate technology helped track Jacob Morley

The breakthrough came after authorities received a tip that Morley was hiding on a property in Illinois. A truck had also been stolen from the property, and investigators began tracking its licence plate using automatic plate-reader technology.

The vehicle was traced travelling through Missouri, prompting local authorities to follow its movements.

Morley was eventually apprehended by the Missouri State Highway Patrol in Carroll County at 11.34 am on Tuesday. The arrest was made "without incident," according to authorities.

The operation involved local, state and federal agencies, including the Kansas City Police Department, Independence Police Department, FBI, US Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations.

The TBI confirmed that members of the public had provided information during the search. The reward was also increased by $15,000 on Wednesday, although authorities did not clarify whether anyone would receive the money.

Jacob Morley was serving life sentence for colleague's murder

Morley was convicted of first-degree murder over the death of his colleague Cody Birchfield in 2022. He was sentenced in June 2025, and his request for a new trial was denied in May.

According to court records, Birchfield's body was discovered inside a metal box beneath Morley's home. A pathology report stated that he died "as a result of a gunshot wound to the back of the head." Bullet casings recovered during the investigation were matched to a gun found at Morley's house.

Birchfield's sister told the court that the two men had developed a friendship while Birchfield was training Morley at the pallet manufacturing company where they worked together.

Apart from first-degree murder, Morley was also convicted of vandalism, tampering with evidence, aggravated burglary and evading arrest.

His 2022 arrest had also followed a police chase that crossed state lines into North Carolina.

The Northwest Correctional Complex, where Morley had been held, is a men's prison with a capacity of up to 1,776 inmates, housing prisoners across different security levels. The facility has also faced scrutiny over violence in recent years, with a grand jury returning dozens of indictments in July over assaults on staff and the murders of five inmates.