A male model whose husband was found dead under mysterious circumstances appeared smiling as he sat before a judge in a New York City courtroom.
Donald Zieben-Hood, 40, is being held at Rikers Island on multiple violent charges tied to allegations that he repeatedly abused his husband, 34-year-old Jacob Zieben-Hood.
Jacob, also a model, was discovered slumped over a toilet in his Harlem apartment in August 2025. He had suffered multiple stab wounds across his body.
Although Jacob’s death has been ruled a homicide, Donald has not been charged in connection with it, adding to a case already marked by allegations of domestic violence and obsession.
On Wednesday, Donald was transported from Rikers to Manhattan Criminal Court on a prison bus carrying dozens of other inmates for a control hearing before Judge Cori Weston.
Three officers escorted him from the rear holding cells into the courtroom. He wore a light beige crewneck sweater and matching khakis, with his hands cuffed behind his back.
In contrast to his previous court appearance, Donald appeared freshly groomed, sporting a recent haircut and a fully grown-out mustache.
Donald briefly scanned the courtroom with little expression, lifting his eyebrows slightly. He then broke into a broad, ear-to-ear grin as he joined his two attorneys and appeared unfazed throughout the short hearing.
Donald Zieben-Hood appeared smiling in court on Wednesday as he faces violent charges related to allegations involving his husband, Jacob Zieben-Hood.
Jacob, also a model, was found slumped over a toilet at the couple’s Harlem apartment in August 2025 with multiple stab wounds across his body.
He sat calmly as he listened, his feet tucked beneath his seat with the toes of his black Puma sneakers pressed against the floor.
Donald never spoke into the microphone as his attorneys and judge discussed the next steps in moving the case forward.
Another control hearing has been set for November 4, when they are expected to discuss setting an official date for his trial.
Donald got up and was once again escorted by court officers back into a holding cell, staring nonchalantly ahead before disappearing inside.
Jacob’s death was ruled a homicide in October of last year after the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announced that the young fitness model died from ‘multiple blunt and sharp force injuries’ to his legs and other parts of his body.
Officials also cited ‘acute alcohol and lorazepam intoxication and chronic alcohol use’ as contributing factors.
According to prosecutors, Jacob made a desperate call to his father on July 31, just hours before his death, warning that his husband was ‘coming after him.’
He sent photos of fresh injuries, including cuts to his face, head, and a large bleeding gash on his leg.
Unlike his last court appearance, he appeared freshly groomed, with a newly cut hairstyle and a fully grown-out mustache
He sat calmly as he listened, his feet tucked beneath his seat with the toes of his black Puma sneakers pressed against the floor
By 4am the next morning, police were back at the couple’s apartment on West 146th Street.
Inside, they found Jacob dead in the bathroom, his body still on the toilet, with stab wounds to his leg and a head injury.
Officers described a chaotic crime scene with blood smeared on the furniture, walls, floor, and counters, suggesting there had been a violent struggle.
Court documents obtained by the New York Post revealed the couple had been celebrating their 10-year anniversary the night before, when they got into the explosive fight.
Donald was arrested at the scene and has been held at Rikers Island ever since.
The Daily Mail previously revealed a long and disturbing record of violence between the couple, citing court filings.
In the year before Jacob’s death, Donald allegedly violated multiple orders of protection, repeatedly breaking into his husband’s apartment to threaten and attack him.
The two were celebrating their 10-year anniversary on the night of Jacob’s death
Jacob’s death was ruled a homicide in October of last year after the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announced that the young fitness model died from ‘multiple blunt and sharp force injuries’ to his legs and other parts of his body
The Daily Mail previously revealed a long and disturbing record of violence between the couple, citing court filings
In February 2025, police say Donald strangled Jacob during a beating that left him nearly unconscious. Then in June, he allegedly returned with a knife, prompting a third restraining order.
To those who knew Jacob before his marriage, the transformation was stark.
Friends described a vibrant, outgoing fitness model who began to disappear from his social circle as the relationship grew darker.
‘I had no contact with him, and I just wanted him to be happy,’ said Jacob Paulson, a close friend who met him in 2013. ‘I was hoping that he was.’
Another friend, Joshua Baker, said Jacob began ghosting him in 2015 after he started dating Donald. ‘He stopped answering calls,’ Baker told NBC News. ‘He even blocked me at one point.’
Jacob’s father also picked up on the change from his son and grew worried for him just before his death.