What This Story Is About
- Escaped Tennessee inmate Jacob Morley is being charged with a federal gun crime after his Missouri capture.
Why It Matters
- A deputy U.S. marshal’s affidavit alleges three guns were found in a stolen pickup truck after Morley was taken into custody on Nov. 3. The affidavit says Morley admitted stealing the truck and firearms in Illinois.
- The supplied court documents do not indicate when Morley will next appear in court. If convicted of the federal charge, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
For Context
- Morley was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for the 2022 murder of Cody Birchfield in Carter County, Tennessee.
Catch Up
- A multistate manhunt ended with Jacob Morley’s capture in Missouri after his escape from a Tennessee prison.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Jacob Morley, a Tennessee inmate captured in Missouri after escaping from prison, faces a federal firearms charge, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Western District of Missouri.
Jacob Allen Morley is charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. The complaint, filed Nov. 3, alleges he possessed a shotgun and two rifles in Missouri after previously being convicted of a felony.
Morley was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for the 2022 murder of Cody Birchfield in Carter County when he escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced his capture near Norborne, Missouri, on Nov. 3.
Federal affidavit describes capture
In an affidavit supporting the complaint, Deputy U.S. Marshal Aaron Riley said authorities received information on Nov. 3 that Morley was in the Kansas City area. License plate reader alerts helped investigators locate a white Ford F-350 in a parking lot in Liberty, Missouri, where they identified Morley as the driver, Riley wrote…