A wanted convict left a strange note for the owners before he fled in their truck during a doomed escape from a Tennessee prison.
asserted
he → want → prison
Jacob Morley, 28, was serving a life sentence in the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville for killing a co-worker in 2022.
asserted
Morley → serve → 2022
Morley, who was still in his prison clothes, managed to run away from the jail at night by cutting through the security fences, CNN reported.
asserted
CNN → manage → fences
The incident took place at around 11.30pm on October 25 and he was on the run for more than a week before the police caught him on Tuesday.
asserted
police → take → Tuesday
After reaching the outside world, the prisoner ended up at a farm near Marion, Illinois, almost 127 miles from the jail.
asserted
prisoner → reach → jail
He spent time at the hunting shed, drank beer and made garlic bread on the property that was only in occasional use, Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich told the Independent.
asserted
Diederich → spend → Independent
Before leaving the farm, Morley allegedly left a handwritten apology for taking a truck from the property, the sheriff said.
uncertain
sheriff → leave → property
‘He had left a letter with specific information in that letter, basically just saying “sorry I stole your truck,” and you know, “tell my mom I love her” and stuff like that, but it had some specific information on it,’ Diederich told CNN.
asserted
Diederich → leave → CNN
Jacob Morley, 28, ran away from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on October 25 and ended up at a hunting shed in Marion
The prisoner (pictured) spent time at the hunting shed, drank beer and made garlic bread at a property that was only in occasional use, police said
He stole a truck from the property and left a bizarre note for the owners before he left, police said
Morley initially stole a white 2008 Ford F-350 with Tennessee plates on October 26, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
uncertain
Morley → run → Investigation
He allegedly drove the truck for more than 130 miles from the prison and abandoned it in Marion.
uncertain
He → drive → Marion
Multiple surveillance cameras captured Morley walking away from the truck and at a couple of other locations along his escape route, cops said.
asserted
cops → capture → route
‘He walked away from that scene and walked down the state highway, and we’ve got images of him progressively as he moves along that but ultimately lose him and the ability to follow where he went,' Diederich told CNN.
asserted
Diederich → walk → CNN
The truck was found by authorities 24 hours after it was abandoned, Marion police Lt Justin Dwyer told the outlet.
asserted
Dwyer → find → outlet
The escaped prisoner was not seen again for eight days.
asserted
prisoner → escape → days
Officials said that he remained in the area for several days.
asserted
he → say → days
'We’re talking about hundreds and hundreds of acres, and it adjoins the national forest, so he could have probably been in a deer stand or a hunting cabin that’s not occupied,' Diederich told the outlet.
uncertain
Diederich → talk → outlet
By then, Morley was ‘considered dangerous and could be anywhere,’ officials said.
uncertain
officials → consider → ?
Morley was added to the TBI's most wanted list after his escape.
asserted
Morley → add → escape
The officials offered a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.
asserted
officials → offer → arrest
The reward was increased by $15,000 on Wednesday.
asserted
reward → increase → Wednesday
He drove away from the farm but the truck got stuck in mud.
asserted
truck → drive → mud
That is when the police caught Morley near an area near Kansas City almost a week later
Morley was convicted of killing his co-worker Cody Birchfield in 2022
The investigators then got the crucial tip after more than a week, which led them to a hunting camp shed in Illinois, CNN reported.
asserted
CNN → catch → Illinois
The team recovered the note that Morley had written, connecting him to the crime scene.
asserted
Morley → recover → scene
By that time, Morley had traveled south on Missouri Route 291, more than 300 miles from Marion.
asserted
Morley → travel → Marion
The investigators said they tracked the truck's license plate through automatic plate-reader technology and dispatched local authorities to follow the vehicle.
asserted
they → say → vehicle
The runaway inmate was caught by the police near Norborne, Missouri, about 50 miles east-northeast of Kansas City with the help of roadside cameras and a helicopter after his truck got stuck in the mud, authorities said.
asserted
authorities → catch → mud
The convict also allegedly stole clothes and three firearms from the farm.
uncertain
convict → steal → farm
Police found two rifles and a shotgun in the vehicle.
asserted
Police → find → vehicle
The police have not established why the escaped convict went to Marion, and why he was driving near Kansas City.
asserted
he → establish → City
The sheriff said that the team did not find evidence that someone helped him during the escape.
asserted
someone → say → escape
‘How he ended up in Marion is kind of a mystery,’ Diederich told the Independent.
asserted
Diederich → end → Independent
Morley was taken to the Lafayette County Jail in Lexington, Missouri, Justin Ewing, a spokesperson for the Missouri State Highway Patrol, said.
asserted
Ewing → take → Patrol
He was charged with one count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in federal court in Tennessee, according to court documents reviewed by WCYB 5.
uncertain
He → charge → WCYB
Morley was also charged in federal court in Missouri with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm after he admitted to escaping the prison, stealing the truck and possessing the two rifles and shotgun, according to a probable cause affidavit.
uncertain
he → charge → affidavit
The convict could face charges in Illinois, Judicial District Attorney General Danny Goodman Jr told the outlet, adding that he plans to file additional charges but it's unclear when the prisoner will be sent back to Tennessee.
uncertain
prisoner → face → Tennessee
Morley was convicted of killing his co-worker Cody Birchfield in 2022.
asserted
Morley → convict → 2022
The victim's body was found in a box under Morley's home after he went missing for a few weeks.
asserted
he → find → weeks
The prisoner was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced in June 2025.
asserted
prisoner → convict → June
His request for a new trial was denied in May.
uncertain
request → deny → May
The Aporia
