Convicted murderer escapes Tennessee prison, flees in stolen truck

Jacob Morley, 28, serving life for murder, broke through the fence at Northwest Correctional Complex and stole a truck. A manhunt is underway with a $2,500 reward offered.

Life-sentence inmate breaks through Tennessee prison fence, steals truck

A 28-year-old man serving a life sentence for murder escaped from a Tennessee prison on Sunday evening and has not been found, cnn.com reports. Jacob Allen Morley slipped through the perimeter fence of the Northwest Correctional Complex before stealing a vehicle and driving away.

Staff at the facility discovered Morley was missing at around 11:30 p.m. on 25 October, the Tennessee Department of Correction said. Security camera footage confirmed he had breached the perimeter fence while still wearing his prison uniform. How exactly he got through the fence has not been established.

Video obtained by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shows Morley stealing a white 2008 Ford F-350 bearing Tennessee plates at approximately 1 a.m. on 26 October. The Hornbeak Fire Department, located about 15 miles from the complex, recorded him passing the station in the stolen truck at 1:18 a.m.

Morley had been convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism. He was sentenced to life in prison for the killing of Cody Birchfield, who was first reported missing in February 2022, according to the Carter County Sheriff's Office. Birchfield's body was later found in a box beneath Morley's house, the Associated Press reported. In 2022, Morley also led police on a chase that ended in North Carolina after deputies arrived at his home.

His escape marks the second time in a week that an inmate has fled from a Tennessee Department of Correction facility.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has added Morley to its "Most Wanted" list and is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. The Northwest Correctional Complex has a capacity of 1,776 male inmates.

Source: Google News MT