Deputies say the victim was the suspect’s wife’s boyfriend, who had moved into the home earlier this year.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A 32-year-old man was jailed on a first-degree murder charge after deputies said he fatally stabbed his estranged wife’s boyfriend on the front porch of a Daytona Beach-area home Wednesday afternoon.
Authorities say the killing grew out of a tense and unusual living arrangement inside a home on Gary Boulevard, where the suspect, his wife and the wife’s boyfriend had all been staying. Investigators say the husband and wife were still legally married, even though their relationship had ended, and that the boyfriend had moved into the residence earlier this year. The case drew immediate attention because of the close personal ties among everyone involved and because key questions, including what started the confrontation, were still unanswered late Thursday.
Deputies were sent to 1028 Gary Blvd. around 2:50 p.m. Wednesday after a report that one adult man had stabbed another. According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, a South Daytona police officer reached the home first and secured the suspect without incident. Investigators say the victim, later identified as 34-year-old Jacob R. Barrho, was found badly injured and taken to a hospital in critical, life-threatening condition. He later died. The sheriff’s office said its initial investigation showed the stabbing happened on the front porch. In a brief update to reporters, Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the case began as a domestic dispute involving two men tied to the same household.
By Wednesday evening, detectives had narrowed the case to a direct accusation against Austin Noel, 32. The sheriff’s office said Noel was being interviewed after the stabbing and later announced he had been charged with first-degree murder. Jail records released by the agency showed Noel was being held without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail. Investigators identified Barrho as the dead man and said he had been living at the house with Noel and Noel’s wife. Officials have not publicly described the weapon beyond saying it was a stabbing, and they have not said whether anyone else witnessed the moment of the attack. Authorities also have not explained what led up to the confrontation or whether there had been earlier calls to the home.
The details released so far point to a collision between a broken marriage and a shared address that had not yet broken apart. Deputies said Noel and his wife had unofficially ended their relationship but were still legally married and still living together. Barrho, identified by investigators as the wife’s boyfriend, had moved into the residence earlier this year. That detail became the center of nearly every public update because it helped explain why detectives were treating the case as both a homicide investigation and a domestic dispute. Neighbors told local television crews the block was usually quiet and that the large law enforcement response stood out. One woman told WESH that seeing crime-scene tape around the house was “scary” because such violence was not common in the neighborhood.
Even with the arrest and formal charge, the investigation remains incomplete. First-degree murder is among the most serious charges filed in Florida, but prosecutors will still have to review evidence gathered by deputies and detectives before the case moves deeper into court. Investigators are expected to rely on witness statements, physical evidence from the porch and home, medical findings related to Barrho’s wounds, and any recordings or digital evidence that may show what happened before deputies arrived. Authorities have not said whether Noel has an attorney, whether he made statements during questioning, or whether the wife was present during the fight. Local reporting indicated Noel’s first court appearance was expected Thursday, a routine early step after booking that can address probable cause, representation and detention conditions.
Outside the home, the scene carried the familiar mix of shock and curiosity that often follows sudden violence in a residential neighborhood. Television footage showed crime-scene tape surrounding the property as investigators moved in and out for hours, taking photographs and collecting evidence. One nearby resident said she did not believe what she was hearing at first when a family member pointed out the police activity at the address. Others declined to appear on camera but spoke of sadness and disbelief that a dispute inside one home had ended with a man dead and another facing a murder case. For investigators, the next task is to turn a broad public outline into a precise account of how the fight began, how quickly it escalated and what each person in the house did before and after the stabbing.
The case stood Thursday with Noel jailed without bond, Barrho identified as the victim and detectives still filling in the missing timeline. The next milestone is Noel’s initial court appearance and any further release from the sheriff’s office or prosecutors on evidence and motive.
Author note: Last updated March 19, 2026.