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Crime & Safety

Escaped Tennessee murderer Jacob Morley is captured in Missouri after more than a week

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest Tuesday, and Missouri's highway patrol says it took him into custody near Norborne.

17 news outlets reported this
Liberal5 outletsthe capture, traced through police and sheriff statementsCenter6 outletsa week-long manhunt ends, with few detailsConservative6 outletsthe killer's crime and Tennessee prison troubles
Published 3 min read
Overview

Jacob Morley, a 28-year-old convicted murderer who escaped from a Tennessee prison, was captured in Missouri on Tuesday. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest. Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on Oct. 25.

Surveillance video showed him getting through the perimeter fence in his prison uniform and later stealing a truck about two miles from the prison. That truck was recovered in Marion, Illinois, about 120 miles north of the prison. A reward of up to $17,500 had been offered for information leading to his capture.

According to ABC News, the Missouri State Highway Patrol took him into custody in Carroll County, near Norborne, about an hour east of Kansas City. Morley was serving a life sentence. The Tennessee Department of Correction, as ABC reports, lists first-degree murder among his convictions, along with several other crimes.

The New York Post reports that the victim was his co-worker Cody Birchfield, whose body was found in a box under Morley's home. Fox News also names the victim as Cody Birchfield.

Key figures
  • $17,500 reward offered, up to, for information leading to Morley's capture — New York Post
  • 120 miles distance north of the prison where the stolen truck was recovered, in Marion, Illinois — Newsweek

Three sides of the story

Liberal5 outlets

the capture, traced through police and sheriff statements

ABC News reports that Morley was "taken into custody near Kansas City, Missouri," as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday. It builds the story from law enforcement accounts. The Williamson County Sheriff's Office in Illinois said a white 2005 Ford pickup used as a farm vehicle was stolen, and credited coordinated efforts with partners for the arrest.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed it took him into custody in Carroll County, near Norborne. ABC also quotes the Tennessee Department of Correction on the Oct. 25 count at about 11:30 p.m. and on his life sentence for first-degree murder and other charges. It notes that little information about his whereabouts emerged after the truck was recovered until Tuesday's arrest.

The piece is labeled a developing story.

Center6 outlets

a week-long manhunt ends, with few details

Newsweek leads with Morley's capture "after more than a week" and quotes the Tennessee Department of Correction's Facebook post thanking law enforcement partners and the public. It says officials did not immediately say where he was found or how he was located. Newsweek recounts the truck trail: surveillance footage showed Morley taking a Ford F-350 from a lot about two miles from the prison, the Hornbeak Fire Department later saw the truck on camera, and it was recovered behind a shopping center in Marion, Illinois.

Newsweek also notes the reward had reached $17,500 and says it asked the TDOC and the TBI for more information. NewsNation's headline says Morley is "back in custody," citing officials, and its report places his escape at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee.

Conservative6 outlets

the killer's crime and Tennessee prison troubles

The New York Post leads with Morley's recapture and the crime behind his life sentence, the 2022 killing of co-worker Cody Birchfield, whose body was found in a box under Morley's home. It then turns to the prison system, citing violent attacks at the complex, and the commissioner's resignation after the failed Christa Pike execution. It quotes Republican state Sen. Tom Hatcher: "We need new leadership."

Fox News relays a Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesperson, who said more details would follow, and recounts the trial in which his ex-girlfriend testified. Just the News reports the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announcement in its own account. It cites CBS News for Morley's age, his sentence and the prison's location, and says authorities have not released more on the escape or the search.

All sources: 19 articles from 17 outlets

Liberal (5)

Center (6)

Conservative (8)

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