Investigators say a husband, his estranged wife and her boyfriend were living at the same address before the fatal stabbing.
SOUTH DAYTONA, Fla. — A fatal stabbing at a home near Daytona Beach has left one man dead and another charged with first-degree murder after investigators said the suspect was still living with his estranged wife and the wife’s boyfriend.
What made the case unusual was not only the violence but the household at the center of it. Investigators say Austin Noel and his wife had ended their relationship without formally dissolving their marriage, and both were still living in the same home when Jacob R. Barrho, the wife’s boyfriend, moved in earlier this year. That arrangement, authorities say, set the stage for a confrontation that ended on the front porch Wednesday afternoon. By late in the day, Barrho was dead, Noel was in custody and detectives were still working to explain how the confrontation turned deadly.
The first emergency call brought deputies to 1028 Gary Blvd. at about 2:50 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. The agency said the report was that one adult man had stabbed another. A South Daytona police officer arrived before deputies and took the suspect into custody without incident, the sheriff’s office said. Barrho, 34, was rushed to a hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries but later died. In its initial account, the sheriff’s office said the stabbing happened on the front porch of the home. As the hours passed, investigators moved from a broad description of a domestic dispute to a more detailed explanation of the relationships inside the house and the identities of the men involved.
Late Wednesday, the sheriff’s office identified Noel as the defendant and announced that he had been charged with first-degree murder. The agency said Noel is 32 and was being held without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail. Officials identified the victim as Barrho, 34. Public updates did not include a detailed motive, and deputies have not said exactly what words or actions came before the stabbing. They also have not said whether the wife tried to intervene or whether anyone else was on the porch when the confrontation happened. Those unanswered questions matter because they will shape how prosecutors present the case and how defense lawyers, once appointed or retained, may respond.
The living arrangement itself has become a central fact in the public record. Deputies said Noel and his wife were still legally married but had unofficially ended their relationship while continuing to live together. Barrho, described by authorities as the wife’s boyfriend, had moved into the home earlier this year. That detail helps explain why local coverage quickly framed the case as both a homicide and a domestic conflict, even though the victim was not the spouse. Florida law often treats violence involving intimate relationships, current or former household members and shared residences as a separate category for investigators because those cases can involve overlapping personal histories, witness complications and volatile emotional dynamics. Even so, investigators have so far kept the public focus on verifiable facts rather than speculation.
At the scene Wednesday evening, local television crews described an active investigation that stretched for hours. Crime-scene tape surrounded the home as deputies and technicians went in and out, photographed the property and removed possible evidence. Neighbors told reporters the area is usually quiet, making the police presence hard to miss. One resident said it was “really sad” to hear what had happened. Another said seeing a crime scene on the block felt unsettling because it was not the kind of event people there expected. That reaction underscored the sharp contrast between the ordinary look of the neighborhood and the deeply personal dispute detectives say erupted there. The public facts were limited, but the scene itself showed investigators treating the case as a major violent crime from the start.
Now the case moves from the street to the court system. A first-degree murder charge signals that prosecutors believe the facts may support the highest level of homicide accusation, though the evidence will be tested as the case proceeds. Investigators are likely to continue reviewing forensic evidence, medical findings, witness statements and any phone or camera records tied to the people in the home. Noel’s first appearance was expected Thursday, an early hearing that can cover detention and basic procedural issues. Additional filings could later reveal more about the state’s theory of the case, including whether prosecutors believe the stabbing was planned, whether it followed a sudden argument or whether prior incidents shaped the investigation. For now, officials have said only that the inquiry is active and more information may be released.
As of Thursday, Noel remained jailed without bond, Barrho had been publicly identified as the victim and the sheriff’s office had not released a fuller explanation of what triggered the fight. The next major update is expected from court proceedings or a new investigative release spelling out the evidence behind the murder charge.
Author note: Last updated March 19, 2026.