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Man serving life sentence for murder escapes Tennessee prison, slipping through fence, officials say

Man serving life sentence for murder escapes Tennessee prison, slipping through fence, officials say

Summary

Tennessee authorities are searching for Jacob Morley, a 28-year-old serving a life sentence for murder, after officials say he escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex. Investigators say surveillance video showed him leaving through a fence and later taking a truck; officials offered up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.

Key Facts

  • Officials discovered Morley was missing at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday at the prison in Tiptonville, Tennessee.
  • Investigators said video showed Morley, wearing his prison uniform, escaping through a fence; they did not explain how he got through it.
  • Officials said surveillance video showed Morley taking a truck at about 1 a.m. Monday.
  • The truck was recorded near the Hornbeak fire department, about 15 miles from the prison, at about 1:18 a.m.
  • Law enforcement searched buildings and other structures near the prison, about 90 miles north of Memphis.
  • Morley was sentenced to life for killing co-worker Cody Birchfield in 2022; Birchfield’s body was found in a box beneath Morley’s home.
  • Morley was also convicted of aggravated burglary, evidence tampering, vandalism and evading arrest.
  • The prison can house 1,776 men and minors convicted as adults; a 2023 audit reported a 61% vacancy rate for correctional officers at the complex in that fiscal year.
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