Escaped US prisoner serving life likely robbed a Tennessee bank

A prisoner serving a life sentence for murder has escaped from Northwest prison in Tennessee. Police have not yet officially confirmed that he robbed a branch of Bank of Deerfield, but everything points to him.

According to police, the bank was robbed shortly before closing: an armed man walked in, demanded money, held two employees and left with cash. Nobody was hurt. He arrived in a stolen Lincoln MKZ, which was later found abandoned.

The fugitive is Jacob Allen Morley. After the escape he reportedly stole a white 2008 Ford F-150 pickup marked Lindamood Planting Company. The vehicle was found on Tuesday in Marion, Illinois, but Morley was no longer there.

Tennessee is asking for help in the search: state authorities have offered a $15,000 reward (about 350,000 crowns) for information leading to the fugitive's arrest.

Morley was serving a life sentence for the February 2022 murder of his coworker Cody Burchfield. The 34-year-old was reported missing after Morley drove him home from work. Several weeks into the search, his body was found hidden in a metal box under Morley's house. Burchfield had been shot in the back of the head.

“He is a monster. He will do it again,” said Daniel Russell, a friend of the victim.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz