Man convicted of Carter County murder escapes from prison in West TN

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26 1:30 p.m.

Jacob Morley, an escapee from a West Tennessee prison, has been added to the TBI’s most wanted listed and a $2,500 reward has been offered for information that leads to his arrest.

Morley is serving a life sentence at a Lake County correctional facility after a jury in Carter County convicted him in 2022 of the murder of Cody Birchfield.

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The Tennessee Department of Corrections report that a man from Northeast Tennessee who was convicted of a 2022 murder in Carter County has escaped from a prison in West Tennessee. Jacob Morley reportedly escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County, Tennessee. Law enforcement is actively responding to Morley’s escape and several agencies are working to locate and apprehend him. The TDOC said anyone with information on Morley’s whereabouts is urged to contact 911. Morley was found guilty in 2022 of the murder of Cody Birchfield and was sentenced to life in prison. Birchfield’s body was discovered buried and hidden underneath Morley’s home in March 2022 after Birchfield had previously been reported missing.