West Palm Beach, Florida — A Michelin-starred chef is facing additional charges after allegedly leaving voicemails from jail soliciting help for his bond amid ongoing legal troubles stemming from an alleged violent attack on a woman.
Jacob Bickelhaupt, 41, co-founder of the upscale restaurant Konro, was charged with two counts of witness tampering and one count of violating a domestic violence injunction. The new charges follow his prior arrests on aggravated battery and battery charges related to a June 2 incident where he is accused of physically assaulting a woman for over two hours, resulting in severe injuries.
The assault reportedly left the victim hospitalized with bleeding in her brain and requiring emergency surgery, an ordeal she narrowly escaped while attempting to purchase a plane ticket after suffering a seizure at the airport. Her sister expressed concern that the situation could have ended tragically had she attempted to board the flight.
Bickelhaupt has been held in Palm Beach County jail since his arrest, with a bond set at $90,000. The court has mandated a no-contact order with the victim and imposed conditions including GPS monitoring and a prohibition on weapon possession. A public defender has been appointed to represent him due to his declared indigency.
On Friday, police received voicemails that Bickelhaupt had left for the victim from an outside phone number associated with another woman, who has her own legal issues. In the messages, he pleaded for the victim’s assistance in raising money for his bail and expressed his distress about being incarcerated. The voicemails were recorded two days after the alleged attack, drawing further scrutiny to his actions.
In one message, Bickelhaupt solicited the victim to contact his public defender while revealing his feelings of desperation and love. He outlined a plan for bail but appeared to disregard the no-contact order imposed by the court, continuing to seek help from a woman he had harmed.
The victim’s current health status remains undisclosed, consistent with hospital policies on releasing information about domestic violence victims. Efforts to reach her family for comment were unsuccessful.
Bickelhaupt’s history of domestic violence resurfaced during this incident. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to attacking his ex-wife and business partner in Chicago, an incident that led to the closure of his two-Michelin-star restaurant, 42 Grams. Following that backlash, he produced a documentary titled “86ed,” which details his journey through public scrutiny and efforts towards redemption.
Since relocating to Florida in 2022, Bickelhaupt opened Konro, which received accolades for its culinary excellence, including a Michelin star this past April. As this story continues to develop, investigators are expected to review his recorded messages and assess their implications on his legal situation moving forward.