Texas man gets life in prison for kidnapping Las Vegas woman
A Texas man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for kidnapping his ex-girlfriend in Las Vegas, gagging her and chaining her to the floor of his van for about 12 hours.
Jack William Morgan, 32, was convicted in December of kidnapping the woman from her Las Vegas apartment Jan. 30, 2017. Morgan planned to take the woman to a cave in Espanola, New Mexico, records show.
Morgan’s accomplice, Samuel Brown, pleaded guilty before the Las Vegas trial and was sentenced to more than five years in prison. Brown, who identifies as a woman and goes by the first name Sophie, told police she and Morgan worked on the abduction plan for more than a year, according to an arrest report.
Brown went door to door at the woman’s apartment complex looking for her, officials said. Morgan choked the woman unconscious before chaining her inside the van.
Las Vegas police traced one of the abductors’ phone records from the morning the woman was taken and notified New Mexico authorities.
New Mexico police arrested Morgan and Brown after finding Morgan’s van along a highway that night. The woman was found alive but injured during the traffic stop.
In a sentencing memo, prosecutors called the case “shocking and disturbing on many levels,” citing Morgan’s planning and that he never expressed remorse.
“He stated at least twice during the trial that he would engage in the same conduct again if given the chance,” prosecutors wrote.
U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson sentenced Morgan.
Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.
