Story by Ethan
On October 1st, 2025, the arrest of Donald Ziebenhood, age 40, was announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr.. Donald Ziebenhood was charged with first and second-degree Burglary, first-degree Criminal Contempt, second-degree Assault, fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, and Aggravated Criminal Contempt. The arrest and charges against Donald Ziebenhood were a result of an investigation handled by detectives from the New York Police Department and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, there are three alleged incidents of Donald Ziebenhood assaulting his husband Jacob Zieben. On February 25, 2025, the defendant had allegedly assaulted Jacob Zieben in their apartment in Harlem, New York, which violated a full order of protection issued in November 2024. A second order of protection was issued after Jacob Zieben called 911 and Donald Ziebenhood was arrested. The defendant was ordered to not interact with the victim, including staying away from his residence and workplace. On June 14th, 2025, in violation of the aforementioned issued protection order, Donald Ziebenhood allegedly went back to Jacob Zieben’s apartment and used a knife to threaten murdering him. The defendant refused to open the door upon police arrival, leading to officers needing to forcibly enter the apartment in order to arrest Donald Ziebenhood. A third order of protection was issued with the same conditions as the previous two. Lastly on July 31st, 2025, Jacob Zieben called his father and told him the defendant was assaulting him again while sending photos of various wounds and cuts on his head and face over text. At approximately 8 p.m. Jacob Zieben sent his father a picture of his face covered in blood with a large wound and was frantically messaging his family about Donald Ziebenhood having beat and sliced him. Around 4 a.m. the next day Donald Ziebenhood called police claiming that he found Jacob Zieben dead on the toilet. EMS staff and officers responding to the scene saw the victim slumped over on the toilet with several cut and stab wounds to the back of one of his legs as well as a large head wound. The apartment was noted to be very messy with various items scattered around and blood tainting the floor, walls, and counters. Donald Ziebenhood was promptly arrested on the scene, and Jacob Zieben’s cause of death is still pending alongside an ongoing investigation.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Donald Ziebenhood are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
