Morris strikes deal, pleads guilty to assault with a weapon

A Trego man accused of inflicting years of physical and mental abuse on his wife pleaded guilty to a single charge of assault with a weapon March 2 after striking a deal with prosecutors.

Authorities initially charged Jacob F. Morris with four counts of felony assault with a weapon and one count of partner or family member assault in Lincoln County District Court. As part of the deal, prosecutors will recommend Morris serve 20 years in the state Department of Corrections.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Morris after he received treatment for a gunshot wound in the chest inflicted Oct. 16 by his wife. Responding law enforcement personnel initially treated the incident as an accidental shooting, but detective David Hall noticed bruising on the woman’s arms.

Over the course of several interviews, authorities learned that the victim suffered years of alleged abuse at Morris’ hands. During the night of the shooting, Morris had grown angry with the victim and hit her with a thrown hammer, court documents said.

After threatening to beat her with the hammer, Morris momentarily left the house, according to the affidavit.

“It was the look he had,” the victim told authorities. “It was not like any other time.”

Before he returned, the victim moved the couple’s young children into a room at the rear of the house, court documents said. The victim then grabbed a .45 caliber handgun and waited by the door, court documents said.

When Morris returned, his demeanor had not changed, the victim told authorities. If anything, he was more distraught, she said in the affidavit.

“[The victim] said she closed her eyes, said, ‘I am sorry,’ and shot,” court documents recounted.

The victim told investigators the abuse began about five years earlier. According to her, Morris considered the abuse “discipline” and it was “OK in his mind because of religious reasons.”

“She explained if he killed her it would be OK with the heavenly father. He would not go to Hell, but would have to answer for it there,” investigators wrote in the affidavit.

Prosecutors cited Morris’ religious beliefs as part of the reason they requested he be held on a $500,000 bail.

He “appears to believe that his religious beliefs entitle him to inflict physical injury upon the victim, up to and including injuries that could cause her death,” wrote County Attorney Marcia Boris in court documents.

Morris was still wearing a county detention center jumpsuit when he changed his plea in district court. After confirming on multiple occasions that he willingly agreed to change his plea, he thanked public defender Jessica Polan for her help.

“She tried her best,” he told District Judge Matthew Cuffe.

Cuffe scheduled Morris’ sentencing for April 6.