A FITNESS model who was stabbed to death in his apartment made a shocking phone call just before he was killed.
Jacob Zieben-Hood, 34, who was found dead on his toilet, was covered in stab wounds when police officers found him on August 1.
Upon arriving at the apartment on Friday, officers discovered Jacob slumped over the toilet with stab wounds to his calf that had reached his muscle.
Investigators believe it was Jacob’s allegedly abusive husband, Donald, who killed him, and the latest evidence helps to back that theory up.
The night prior to his murder, after an intense argument, Jacob contacted his father, stating that Donald was “pursuing him” and preventing him from leaving their New York City residence, according to prosecutors in court.
Prosecutors also said that Jacob sent his father a photo of his injured leg.
In the background, Jacob’s dad claimed to have been able to hear Donald calling his son derogatory names.
Friends and neighbors reported that the couple had a track record of blowout arguments and toxic behavior.
“They fought all the time, I would hear it,” Craig Wesley, 44, a neighbor in their building, told The New York Post.
Wesley said the pair’s fighting became a “consistent thing” which led to the cops being called in June.
He claimed to have awoken to the commotion around 4 am on Friday.
Donald, 40, has previously been accused of allegedly choking Jacob and threatening him with a knife back in 2022.
He’s previously defied multiple court protections, and police reported having responded to the couple’s home nine times in three years.
In 2024, police responded to the Harlem apartment following an alleged attack by Donald on his husband with an unidentified object, resulting in a protective order.
In February, Donald was arrested twice for allegedly choking Jacob in their home, prompting a judge to impose a $5,000 bail on the influencer.
One month later, prosecutors said that officers responded to the couple’s home to see Jacob with a gash in his forehead.
Jacob and Donald’s tumultuous relationship
- 2022: Donald allegedly threatens Jacob with a knife
- 2024: Donald allegedly hit his husband with an unspecified object, leading to an order of protection
- February 2025: Donald is arrested twice for allegedly strangling Jacob, leading to the judge setting a $5,000 bail
- March 2025: Officers responded to the couple’s home during a fight and Jacob is found with a forehead gash
- June 2025: Donald is arrested for allegedly threatening Jacob with a knife
- August 2025: Jacob is found dead with stab wounds
Jacob and Donald both reported that Jacob had fallen and hit his head.
On June 14, Donald was arrested for allegedly threatening his husband with a knife.
After threatening him, court records show that Donald said, “I will attack.”
Donald was arrested for violating his order of protection and received a $5,000 bail, despite prosecutors’ request for a $30,000 bail.
Once the officers arrived on Friday, Donald admitted to violating his protective order, which barred him from being near Jacob.
He was charged with first-degree burglary, weapons possession, and aggravated criminal contempt for violating the protection orders.
The judge denied Donald bail as they await to hear back about Jacob’s official cause of death from the medical examiner.
