- Published
US authorities have recaptured a convicted murderer who escaped a Tennessee prison more than a week ago.
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who → publish → prison
Jacob Allen Morley, 28, was serving a life sentence over the killing of his colleague in 2022, when he escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, about 90 miles (145 km) north of Memphis.
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he → serve → Memphis
The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) said security footage showed Morley, wearing his prison uniform, breaching the prison fence around 11:30pm on 25 October, and later stealing a vehicle from a nearby farm.
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Morley → say → farm
On Wednesday the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced Morley was in custody after an operation that involved local, state and federal agencies.
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that → announce → agencies
In a statement, the TBI said authorities had received a tip that Morley was hiding on an Illinois property, from which a truck had also been stolen.
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truck → say → which
The truck's licence plate was then tracked through automatic plate-reader technology, travelling through Missouri, where local authorities were dispatched to follow.
Morley was apprehended by Missouri State Highway Patrol "without incident" in Carroll County at 11:34am local time on Tuesday.
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Morley → track → Tuesday
were also recovered from the vehicle, the TBI said.
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TBI → recover → vehicle
Photos published by authorities showed Morley handcuffed and being led out of a field by officers.
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Morley → publish → officers
Following his escape, Morley had been added to the TBI's most wanted list, with the TDOC offering a reward of up to $2,500 (£1,900) for information leading to his arrest.
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TDOC → follow → arrest
The reward was increased by $15,000 on Wednesday.
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reward → increase → Wednesday
The TBI's statement said members of the public had provided information during the investigation, but did not say if the reward had been paid.
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reward → say → investigation
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the manhunt had involved officers from the Kansas City Police Department, Independence Police Department, the FBI, US Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations.
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manhunt → say → Department
Morley was convicted of first-degree murder over the death of his colleague Cody Birchfield in 2022.
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Morley → convict → 2022
He was sentenced in June 2025.
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He → sentence → June
His request for a new trial was denied in May.
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request → deny → May
Birchfield's body was found in a metal box under Morley's home, according to Carter County court records reviewed by the BBC.
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body → find → BBC
Birchfield died "as a result of a gunshot wound to the back of the head", a pathology report cited in court said.
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report → die → court
Bullet casings matched a gun found in Morley's house.
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casings → match → house
Birchfield's sister said in her victim impact statement to the court that the pair had developed a friendship while Birchfield was training Morley at the pallet manufacturing company where they were both employed.
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they → say → company
Besides murder, Morley was also convicted of vandalism, tampering with evidence, aggravated burglary, and evading arrest.
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Morley → convict → arrest
This is not the first time Morley has led law enforcement officials on a manhunt.
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Morley → lead → manhunt
His 2022 arrest came after a police chase that crossed state lines into North Carolina.
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that → come → Carolina
The Northwest Correctional Complex is a men's prison with the capacity to hold up to 1,776 inmates, from low security to maximum, the BBC's partner CBS reported.
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partner → hold → maximum
CBS said the prison has seen numerous acts of violence in recent years, and in July a grand jury returned dozens of indictments over assaults on staff and the murders of five inmates.
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jury → see → inmates
The Aporia
