Escaped killer drank beer, made garlic bread and apologized in writing before capture

Williamson County Sheriff's Office

Authorities on Wednesday were still trying to piece together how an escaped Tennessee prisoner convicted of murder evaded capture for more than a week before being tracked down hundreds of miles away in Missouri.

Jacob Morley, who was serving a life sentence for killing a coworker four years ago, was apprehended Tuesday near Kansas City, Missouri, authorities said. Morley was found after troopers used roadside cameras and a helicopter to track him down and his truck got stuck in the mud. Two rifles and a shotgun were recovered from the truck.

Authorities believe Morley, 28, found his way to a farm near Marion, Illinois – about 127 miles away – in the days after his escape, spending some time in a shed that was used periodically by hunters.

Investigators found evidence he drank beer and prepared garlic bread and other food – and that he left behind an apologetic handwritten note after stealing a truck from the farm, according to Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich. Morley is also suspected of stealing clothes and the three firearms from the property.

Tennessee Department of Correction/AP

Authorities capture escaped Tennessee inmate in Missouri after 9-day manhunt

Diederich believes Morley walked about 3 miles to the farm after abandoning a different truck he had driven after his escape. Security cameras captured Morley walking away from the truck and at a couple of locations along Route 13, but the terrain – which includes fields and woods – would have made it tough for him to be spotted, Diederich said.

It’s unclear why Morley traveled to Marion and why he was driving near Kansas City, more than 350 miles away.

“How he ended up in Marion is kind of a mystery,” Diederich said.

Diederich said there’s no evidence Morley had help from anyone.

Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tennessee’s far northwestern corner on October 25, after he slipped through a fence in his prison clothes. Surveillance video showed him stealing a truck from a farm near the prison, which he abandoned in Marion.

John Lindamood via AP

His escape came the same month that Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada resigned from his role following the failed execution of Christa Pike , which left her unconscious and on a ventilator at a hospital. Pike has since been released from the hospital and returned to a maximum-security prison as her future remains uncertain .

All “available information” regarding Morley’s whereabouts when he was on the run has been released, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Kim Wheeler-Elder wrote in a text message.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says it was informed Tuesday morning that Morley was possibly traveling west on Interstate 70 in the Kansas City area. Authorities said he was compliant when he was arrested.

Morley was taken to the Lafayette County jail in Lexington, Missouri, according to Justin Ewing, a spokesperson for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. No charges have been filed against him in Missouri courts, according to online court records.

Missouri State Highway Patrol

Before Morley was apprehended, he was charged in federal court in Tennessee with one count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, court documents show. Morley was also charged Tuesday in federal court in Missouri with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

A deputy US marshal interviewed Morley at the Lafayette County jail on Tuesday and Morley admitted to escaping the Tennessee prison, stealing the truck in Marion as well as the two rifles and shotgun, according to a probable cause affidavit.

District Attorney General Danny Goodman Jr. in Tennessee said in a phone interview that he plans to file additional charges but it’s unclear when Morley will be returned to Tennessee.

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Morley was convicted of killing coworker Cody Birchfield in 2022. Birchfield’s body was found in a box under Morley’s home after he had been missing for a few weeks.

When Morley saw deputies at his home, he led officers on a chase that ended in North Carolina, authorities said. Morley was convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism and evading arrest.

威廉姆森县警长办公室

周三，当局仍在努力拼凑出一名被判谋杀罪的田纳西州越狱囚犯是如何躲避抓捕超过一周，最终在数百英里外的密苏里州被抓获的。

据当局称，因四年前杀害同事而被判终身监禁的雅各布·莫利于周二在密苏里州堪萨斯城附近被捕。警方利用路边摄像头和直升机追踪莫利，最终发现他的卡车陷在泥里。警方在卡车内缴获了两支步枪和一支霰弹枪。

当局认为，28 岁的莫利在逃脱后的几天里，找到了位于伊利诺伊州马里恩附近的一个农场（距离约 127 英里），并在一个猎人偶尔使用的棚子里待了一段时间。

据威廉姆森县警长杰夫·迪德里希称，调查人员发现证据表明，莫利曾喝啤酒、制作蒜蓉面包和其他食物，并且在从农场偷走一辆卡车后留下了一张手写的道歉字条。莫利还涉嫌从该处偷窃衣物和三支枪。

田纳西州惩教部门/美联社

经过9天的追捕，当局在密苏里州抓获了从田纳西州逃脱的囚犯。

迪德里希认为，莫利在逃跑后弃置了另一辆卡车，步行约3英里到达农场。监控录像拍到莫利离开卡车，并在13号公路沿线的几个地点出现，但迪德里希表示，由于地形复杂，包括田野和树林，他很难被发现。

目前尚不清楚莫利为何前往马里恩，以及他为何会在距离马里恩超过 350 英里的堪萨斯城附近驾车。

“他最终怎么会到马里恩来，这有点神秘，”迪德里希说。

迪德里希表示，没有证据表明莫利得到了任何人的帮助。

10月25日，莫利身穿囚服，从位于田纳西州西北角的西北惩教中心越狱。监控录像显示，他从监狱附近的一个农场偷了一辆卡车，并将其遗弃在马里恩。

约翰·林达穆德（美联社）

就在他越狱的同一个月，田纳西州惩教署署长弗兰克·斯特拉达因克里斯塔·派克死刑执行失败而辞职。派克被执行死刑后昏迷不醒，靠呼吸机维持生命。此后，派克已出院，并被送回最高安全级别的监狱，她的未来仍然充满不确定性。

田纳西州调查局发言人金·惠勒-埃尔德在短信中写道，所有关于莫利在逃期间下落的“可用信息”都已公布。

密苏里州公路巡逻队称，周二上午接到线报，莫利可能正沿70号州际公路向西行驶，途经堪萨斯城地区。警方表示，莫利被捕时配合警方。

据密苏里州公路巡逻队发言人贾斯汀·尤因称，莫利已被押送至密苏里州莱克星顿的拉斐特县监狱。拉斐特县警长办公室尚未对此事作出回应。根据在线法院记录，密苏里州法院尚未对他提起任何指控。

密苏里州公路巡逻队

法庭文件显示，莫利被捕前，曾在田纳西州联邦法院被控一项非法逃避起诉罪。周二，莫利还在密苏里州联邦法院被控一项重罪犯非法持有枪支罪。

根据一份可能原因宣誓书，一名美国副法警周二在拉斐特县监狱讯问了莫利，莫利承认从田纳西州监狱越狱，在马里恩偷走了卡车以及两支步枪和一支霰弹枪。

田纳西州地方检察官丹尼·古德曼二世在电话采访中表示，他计划提出更多指控，但目前还不清楚莫利何时会被遣返回田纳西州。

奥尔良教区警长办公室

路易斯安那州奥尔良教区警长和首席财务官因去年10名囚犯越狱事件被起诉。

2022年，莫利被判谋杀同事科迪·伯奇菲尔德罪名成立。伯奇菲尔德失踪几周后，他的尸体在莫利家下面的一个盒子里被发现。

据当局称，莫利在家中发现警员后，驾车逃逸，最终在北卡罗来纳州被警方抓获。莫利被判犯有一级谋杀罪、加重入室盗窃罪、篡改证据罪、故意破坏财物罪和拒捕罪。