A man who violently kidnapped his ex-girlfriend last year, chaining her to a van and driving her to a cave in New Mexico, where her dramatic rescue on a highway was captured on police body cameras, will spend the rest of his life in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Southern Nevada.
Jack William Morgan, 32, was sentenced Tuesday on one count each of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, for which he was convicted in jury trial in December, officials said.
His accomplice, Samuel Brown, who identifies as Sophie Brown, pleaded guilty before a trial and was previously sentenced to five years and three months in prison, officials said.
Morgan stalked his ex-girlfriend for about a year and in January 2017, Brown found her in her Las Vegas apartment, officials said. Witnesses told Metro Police that she was bound and gagged, and dragged down stairs.
Brown handcuffed and chained the victim to the floorboard of a van, which was operated by Morgan, officials said. From there, they drove to a secluded cave in New Mexico.
About 12 hours later, the woman’s cellphone pinged her location, and New Mexico authorities spotted the van on a highway near Albuquerque, officials said. Officers heard the woman screaming and the rest of the rescue was captured on body-camera footage.
The woman suffered cuts and scrapes throughout her body, officials said.