In a surprising turn of events, a fitness influencer will not face homicide charges after his husband was discovered in their Manhattan apartment covered in blood. Despite a medical examiner’s finding that the spouse had been beaten and stabbed to death, prosecutors have decided against pursuing murder charges, The Post has learned.
This week, prosecutors announced that they would not charge 40-year-old Donald Zibenhood with homicide. They stated that there was “reasonable doubt” regarding whether the stab wounds inflicted on his husband, Jacob Zibenhood, during a violent altercation in 2025 at their Harlem residence were solely responsible for his demise.
The New York City Office of the Medical Examiner determined in October that Jacob, aged 34, succumbed to “multiple blunt and sharp force injuries” to various parts of his body, including his legs. His death was further complicated by acute intoxication from alcohol and lorazepam, alongside a history of chronic alcohol use.
During a court session on Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Samantha LiTrenta referenced the medical examiner’s findings. She disclosed that Jacob’s blood alcohol content was .40%—a level considered potentially lethal—and noted the presence of Valium in his system, which could have been fatal even without the stab injuries.
Donald, who boasts nearly 68,000 followers on Instagram with his glamorous posts, did not attend the hearing. He is still facing serious charges of assault and burglary, which carry a potential sentence of up to 25 years in prison if he is found guilty.
Recent court filings shed light on the circumstances leading up to the incident, revealing that the couple was celebrating their 10-year anniversary when a major argument allegedly erupted.
Jacob, who was studying to be a doctor, was found dead on a toilet inside his home on West 138th Street, near Frederick Douglass Boulevard, hours later.
“I want to know how he died because I don’t want it to be because of me,” a distressed Donald had allegedly told cops when they showed up and arrested him on Aug. 1, according to the court papers.
“If he committed suicide or if he freaking OD’ed on some stupid ass drugs. I’m never going to get to see him again,” he said, according to the documents.
“This was our 10-year f–king anniversary.”
Prosecutors said that Donald had previously allegedly assaulted his lover inside an apartment on Feb. 25, and returned June 14 threatening to kill him with a knife — despite a court order mandating that he stay away from Jacob.
Before his tragic death, Jacob called his dad and told him that Donald was assaulting him, and sent photos of his injuries including a bloody head wound and a large bleeding gash on the back of his leg, prosecutors have said.
Police later found Jacob slumped over on the toilet, covered in blood with gashes on his head and multiple stab wounds to the back of his leg, including one on the back of his calf that penetrated his muscle, prosecutors said.
One of the wounds severed an artery, causing him to bleed to death, police have said.
Donald was also indicted in October on various charges for the prior altercations.
Cops lodged nine domestic violence incidents involving the pair dating back to 2022, prosecutors claimed previously.
The Legal Aid Society, which represents Donald Zibenhood, declined to comment.
He remains held at Rikers Island without bail and is due to appear next in court on May 20.
