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Authorities on Wednesday were still trying to piece together how an escaped Tennessee prisoner<\/a> convicted of murder evaded capture for more than a week before being tracked down hundreds of miles away in Missouri.<\/p>\n Jacob Morley, who was serving a life sentence for killing a co-worker four years ago, was apprehended<\/a> Tuesday near Kansas City, Missouri, authorities said. Morley was found after troopers used roadside cameras and a helicopter to track him down and his truck got stuck in the mud. Two rifles and a shotgun were recovered from the truck.<\/p>\n Authorities believe Morley found his way to a farm near Marion, Illinois \u2014 about 127 miles (204 kilometers) away \u2014 in the days after his escape, spending some time in a shed that was used periodically by hunters.<\/p>\n Investigators found evidence that he drank beer and prepared garlic bread and other food \u2014 and that he left behind an apologetic handwritten note after stealing a truck from the farm, according to Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich. Morley is also suspected of stealing clothes and the three firearms from the property.<\/p>\n Diederich believes Morley walked about 3 miles (5 kilometers) to the farm after abandoning a different truck he had driven after his escape. Security cameras captured Morley walking away from the truck and at a couple of locations along Route 13, but the terrain \u2014 which includes fields and woods \u2014 would have made it tough for him to be spotted, Diederich said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear why Morley traveled to Marion and why he was driving near Kansas City, more than 350 miles (563 kilometers) away.<\/p>\n \u201cHow he ended up in Marion is kind of a mystery,\u201d Diederich said.<\/p>\n Diederich said there’s no evidence Morley had help from anyone.<\/p>\n Morley, 28, escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tennessee\u2019s far northwestern corner on Oct. 25, after he slipped through a fence in his prison clothes. Surveillance video showed him stealing a truck from a farm near the prison, which he abandoned<\/a> in Marion.<\/p>\n Kim Wheeler-Elder, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, wrote in a text message that all \u201cavailable information\u201d regarding Morley\u2019s whereabouts when he was on the run has been released.<\/p>\n The Missouri State Highway Patrol says it was informed Tuesday morning that Morley was possibly traveling west on Interstate 70 in the Kansas City area. Authorities said he was compliant when he was arrested.<\/p>\n Morley was transported to the Lafayette County jail in Lexington, Missouri, according to Justin Ewing, a spokesperson for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. No charges have been filed against him in Missouri courts, according to online court records.<\/p>\n Before Morley was apprehended, he was charged in federal court in Tennessee with one count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, court documents show. Morley was also charged Tuesday in federal court in Missouri with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.<\/p>\n A deputy U.S. marshal interviewed Morley at the Lafayette County jail on Tuesday and Morley admitted to escaping the Tennessee prison, stealing the truck in Marion as well as the two rifles and shotgun, according to a probable cause affidavit.<\/p>\n District Attorney General Danny Goodman Jr. in Tennessee said in a phone interview that he plans to file additional charges but it’s unclear when Morley will be returned to Tennessee.<\/p>\n Morley was convicted of killing co-worker Cody Birchfield in 2022. Birchfield\u2019s body was found in a box under Morley\u2019s home after he had been missing for a few weeks.<\/p>\n When Morley saw deputies at his home, he led officers on a chase that ended in North Carolina, authorities said. Morley was convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism and evading arrest.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Kelety reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writer Laura Turbay in Little Rock, Arkansas, contributed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n