A convicted murderer who cut his way out of a Tennessee prison is back in custody after more than a week on the run. Jacob Allen Morley, 28, escaped Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County on October 25th by hiding among pallets and a trash cart behind the prison kitchen, then cutting through perimeter fences. He was serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of his coworker, Cody Birchfield.
Morley stole a utility truck and abandoned it in Marion, Illinois, where heavy law enforcement searches failed to turn him up for over a week. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation put him on its Most Wanted list with a reward of up to $17,500. The break came Tuesday morning when he stole a second vehicle, a white 2005 Ford farm truck, from rural Williamson County, Illinois. That led authorities straight to him, and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers captured him near Kansas City without incident.
Friends and family of Cody Birchfield described Morley as a dangerous killer who would not hesitate to strike again. Now the questions turn to prison security and how the escape happened. What questions do you think need answering? Let us know in the comments.
