Escaped Tennessee Inmate Captured After Multi-State Manhunt

Morley, 28, escaped the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, by cutting through security fencing. Authorities later found a truck he had taken abandoned in Marion, Illinois, more than 100 miles from the prison. Cameras recorded him walking away from the vehicle and at other points along his route, but investigators lost track of him in difficult terrain.

He stayed at a farm near Marion, where he drank beer and made garlic bread in a hunting shed, authorities said. Before leaving, he wrote a note apologizing for taking a truck and asking that his mother be told he loved her. Investigators said the note helped connect him to the farm. They also say he took clothing and three firearms from the property.

Morley later drove another truck south through Missouri. Plate-reading technology and roadside cameras helped authorities locate it near Norborne, about 50 miles from Kansas City. The truck became stuck in mud, and officers, assisted by a helicopter, arrested him on November 3. Officials said they had no evidence that anyone helped him escape; why he went to Illinois and then Missouri remains unclear.

Morley is being held at the Lafayette County Jail in Lexington, Missouri. Federal charges include unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and possession of firearms by a felon. Tennessee prosecutors say they intend to bring additional charges, and Illinois charges are also possible. Morley was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2022 killing of co-worker Cody Birchfield and sentenced to life in prison in 2025.