Model's Husband Was Isolated For Years Before He Was Found Dead In Nyc Apartment, Friends Say

Jacob Zieben and Jacob Paulson were accelerated friends erstwhile they met successful 2013. Aside from their shared name, nan brace were some young cheery men caller retired of assemblage who precocious moved to New York City.

After 2 years spent glued astatine nan hip, Paulson said their move quickly changed aft his friend, a individual trainer from Texas, started making love exemplary Donald Hood.

“He conscionable vanished,” Paulson said this week successful a telephone interview, choking up. “I had nary interaction pinch him, and I conscionable wanted him to beryllium happy, and that’s each I really cared about. And I was hoping that he was.”

Although nan nonaccomplishment of nan relationship stung, Paulson said he moved connected years ago. He didn’t be his erstwhile friend’s 2020 wedding and was only alert from societal media that Jacob and Donald some changed their past names to Zieben-Hood.

But Paulson was shocked and flooded pinch memories when, conscionable 2 weeks ago, he saw his erstwhile friend’s sanction successful nan headlines aft constabulary recovered nan 34-year-old dormant wrong his Harlem apartment.

Jacob pinch friends Joshua Baker (left) and Jacob Paulson (right).Courtesy Joshua Baker

When authorities entered nan flat connected July 31 aft Donald called for help, they recovered Jacob slumped complete his toilet pinch a gash connected his caput and aggregate stab wounds to nan backmost of his leg, 1 heavy capable to penetrate muscle, according to charging documents.

His decease came aft years of alleged maltreatment making love to 2022, elaborate successful a bid of charging documents against Donald connected felony counts including strangulation and menacing. Those charges stay pending.

Donald, a 40-year-old exemplary pinch complete 67,000 Instagram followers, was arrested connected July 31 and charged pinch respective crimes, including burglary. He is presently being held astatine Rikers Island without bail. Prosecutors person not charged anyone pinch execution aliases named a fishy for Jacob’s death, citing his pending autopsy, but said they are investigating nan lawsuit arsenic a homicide.

In nan days since his death, Paulson and 7 others who knew Jacob said pinch NBC News arsenic they slow learned astir nan individual trainer’s life complete nan past decade. And while his fatal stabbing comes arsenic a shock, those who knew Jacob judge Donald trim retired his friends — and imaginable lifelines — years earlier he genuinely needed them.

“I wish I had done more, but, successful hindsight, what would you do?” said 1 of Jacob's aged friends, Marti G. Cummings.

Donald’s lawyer declined to comment.

After studying biomedical sciences astatine Texas A&M University, Jacob moved to New York City successful 2013 and quickly met Paulson and Joshua Baker.

Paulson and Baker said that nan trio ne'er went “anywhere without each other” and spent endless days cooped up successful Jacob’s Hell’s Kitchen apartment, which they opportunity overlooked Central Park, playing video games, eating fried food, and pensive astir their futures.

“We were these tiny small misfits that were trying to fig retired wherever we fresh successful New York society,” Baker said.

Cummings met Jacob astir nan aforesaid clip and gravitated toward his selflessness and desire for community. A salient New York City resistance queen who uses they/them pronouns, Cummings said Jacob would often locomotion them betwixt gigs precocious astatine nighttime to make judge they sewage location safely.

“He was a protector, which is why I deliberation it makes this full point sadder,” Cummings said. “He didn’t get to beryllium protected from this.”

Jacob pinch friend, Marti G. Cummings.Courtesy Marti G. Cummings

Lauren Foster, a friend of Donald’s since 2000, described him arsenic “a bully guy” and said that she was ne'er nether nan belief that his narration was troubled. She did, however, admit that nan roles Jacob and Donald played were clear.

“I don’t deliberation he had a ton of friends,” Foster said of Jacob. “Don was benignant of nan alpha successful nan relationship.”

“There’s ever 1 personification that’s ascendant successful nan relationship, and that was decidedly Don,” she added. “I deliberation Don would beryllium nan alpha successful immoderate relationship. He’s larger than life.”

Baker said that soon aft Jacob met Donald successful nan outpouring of 2015, Jacob began dodging invitations, declining telephone calls, and ignoring matter messages. Soon, Baker noted, Jacob started to moreover artifact his friends’ telephone numbers.

Jonathan Starkey, a friend from Texas, recalled that successful 1 speech astir that time, Jacob said that “a batch had changed, and that Donald was a small jealous and suspicious and benignant of restricted who he was successful touch with.”

“Jacob wasn’t really personification who fto group show him what to do, which is why it’s truthful strange,” Starkey said.

Jacob’s abrupt soundlessness prompted Baker to scope retired to Donald.

“Jacob is doing very well,” Donald wrote to Baker successful a November 5, 2015, nonstop connection connected Facebook, according to screenshots of nan speech provided to NBC News. “He’s decided to break distant from his past, which unluckily included his closest friends, successful bid to move guardant pinch a patient life.”

“He’s been very focused and is backmost connected nan correct way successful his life and successful bid to stay focused he will stay retired of interaction for nan moment,” Donald added.

For years, nan only updates Jacob’s friends received astir their friend came done societal media, wherever images from nan couple’s Instagrams showed what appeared to beryllium a happy mates who traveled nan world and lived a glamorous New York life. The brace posted loving selfies, pictures from their wedding successful 2020, and snapshots pinch their families.

But tribunal documents overgarment a prolonged shape of alleged maltreatment successful nan narration that authorities opportunity started successful 2022.

Prosecutors said successful nan charging documents revenge aft Jacob’s decease that Donald had 9 home incident reports revenge against him since 2022, but did not supply much specifications astir nan quality of nan incidents aliases who revenge them. In November 2024, an bid of protection was issued successful New York County Criminal Court that directed Donald to cease connection and enactment distant from Jacob, according to charging documents associated pinch Donald’s apprehension successful February.

In February, Donald was arrested and charged pinch strangulation, among respective different charges, for allegedly attacking Jacob wrong nan Harlem apartment. Jacob “almost mislaid consciousness, and sustained swelling, important pain, and redness to his neck” from nan incident, according to nan charging documents. Donald pleaded not blameworthy to nan charges successful nan lawsuit that is still pending.

A 2nd tribunal bid of protection was issued successful criminal tribunal successful April, which erstwhile again prevented Donald from seeing aliases communicating pinch Jacob.

Donald was arrested again successful June and charged pinch criminal contempt and menacing, according to tribunal documents. The tribunal records allege that Donald held a weapon successful Jacob’s guidance and said, “I will onslaught you.” He pleaded not blameworthy to nan charges, and nan lawsuit is still pending.

Paulson said that earlier this year, Jacob followed him connected Instagram and gave him dream that nan friends mightiness reconnect aft a little speech successful March.

“I was truthful excited to person that imaginable of him coming backmost into my life aft I’d benignant of fto him spell arsenic a friend,” Paulson said. “And past to person it really conscionable permanently end, it’s conscionable devastated me. It’s really wrecked me.”

Members of nan New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner region nan assemblage of Influencer exemplary Donald Zieben-Hood successful Harlem, New York, connected Aug. 1.Kyle Mazza / NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Donald called 911 connected July 31 from Jacob’s one-bedroom flat astatine West 138th Street and told them he recovered his hubby dormant connected nan toilet.

When constabulary arrived, they recovered Donald sitting connected their sofa pinch 3 cuts to his limb that later required stitches, a achromatic eye, and wound marks, according to a criminal complaint. He told authorities that Jacob had attacked him.

However, prosecutors opportunity that Jacob called his begetter from nan bath earlier nan onslaught and allegedly told him that Donald “was coming astatine him pinch knives and preventing him from leaving nan apartment,” according to nan criminal complaint. During nan call, Jacob’s begetter allegedly heard Donald screaming derogatory names astatine Jacob successful nan background, nan title added.

Donald was arrested later that time and charged pinch burglary, aggravated criminal contempt, criminal contempt successful nan first grade and possession of a weapon. On Thursday, he was scheduled to look successful court, but a judge waived his quality astatine nan petition of his attorney.

He is now group to look connected September 12, almost a period aft Jacob’s funeral, scheduled for this play successful San Antonio.

As authorities proceed to analyse nan case, Jacob’s friends person been connecting and sharing aged memories of their precocious friend.

“Years tin spell by, but he was our family till’ nan end,” Baker said.