Crime · Kansas City, MO
Escaped Convicted Murderer Captured Near Kansas City After Multi-State Manhunt
Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was captured Tuesday near Kansas City, Missouri by the Missouri State Highway Patrol after escaping from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County, Tennessee on Oct. 25. During his week-long flight, Morley stole vehicles in Lake County, Tennessee and Williamson County, Illinois before heading west. He was serving a life sentence for the 2022 murder of coworker Cody Birchfield in Carter County, Tennessee. Authorities coordinated across multiple states and investigated whether Morley was linked to an armed bank robbery in Dane County, Wisconsin. Extradition details and formal charges regarding his escape and vehicle thefts had not yet been announced.