Question
Are you familiar with a bodybuilder named Dave Jacobs? He was involved in some sort of murder suicide in TX many years ago. I just read an interesting story on it, wanted to know what your take was.
Answer
In fact I am, and have some insight most don’t. He died in an alleged murder suicide. There’s a lesson here for all of us though, so indulge me as I recount the case of Dave Jacobs.
His early days saw him enlist in the Marines, but that didn’t last long as he eventually got out and embarked on a business career with Nokia. And it was during this time that the old Dave Jacobs would vanish – replaced by a seemingly SuperHuman.
Some of Jacobs’ business trips took him to China. And once when he was there, he decided to try climbing the Great Wall. The problem was that he was now a tubby, fanny pack-wearing businessman – rather than a ship shape Marine. So as one might imagine, his attempt to scale the Great Wall failed miserably – leaving him exhausted and humiliated.
So he decided this wasn’t the person he wanted to be, and returned to Finland (where Nokia had him living) – intent on joining a gym. He began working out religiously and befriended a bodybuilder who taught him about steroids.
He became so immersed in his gym that he chose to cash in his Nokia career for an ownership stake. Unfortunately, business wasn’t so good and he became so destitute that he was barely able to afford a ticket back to his native Texas.
What Happened Next
Now home and out of a job, he came to a crossroads in life. And his decision of what to do next was aided heavily by another bodybuilder he met – Art Atwood… Jacobs then used his contacts to find Chinese factories that were willing to ship him raw steroid powders.
At some point during all of this, he was able to teach himself how to turn it into ready-made product. So he began dealing to people he knew within the Dallas bodybuilding community and was a human advertisement for the stuff because he literally transformed from a 175 pound weakling to a buff, 272 pounds.
In March of 2007, UPS became suspicious of a leaking package he sent to Wichita, Kansas. The authorities tracked the address to an amateur bodybuilder, Jamie Montageau. After being arrested, Montageau cooperated with police and told them that Jacobs sent the steroids to him.
A controlled delivery later, Dave got popped and they searched his home. The kind of time he was looking at was onerous. By one account, he was pushing at least $30,000 a month. Worse, some of those deliveries were traced to NFL players: And more than a few of them.
Those are BALCO like numbers, so when Jacobs somehow dodged major prison time many were wondering how he did it. The suspicions came to a head when Jacobs reportedly met with NFL officials to name names.
In any case, he never quite reached the level of success in bodybuilding that his training partner, IFBB pro Branch Warren did. But he did meet a female IFBB pro by the name of Amanda Jo Earhart. The two had a rocky relationship, but were engaged to be married. However, their relationship would tragically end along with their lives as they were both found dead of gunshot wounds in Jacobs’ home.
So case closed right? Maybe not.
Jacobs made this statement just before he died -, “We as people have given police the authority to uphold laws, but they’re breaking them right in front of our faces. And to steal money from my house, and steroids and growth hormone, then put handcuffs on me and judge me.
The Inside Word
I knew Dave’s father, Dave Sr. He was the most successful insurance salesman at our company, working out of our Atlanta office. When out to lunch one day just prior to his death, he noticed my build and asked if I worked out. I said thank you, yes I do. His next query was more pointed:
Do you take steroids?
I answered truthfully saying no, but I had tried pro-hormones. Went on to explain that they were legal, although not without many of the same steroid like side effects. He then asked, “so you get them on the black market”? I said no sir, they’re as close as your local GNC. He said OK, because my son David’s mixed up in that black market stuff, and I’m always dreading the next phone call.
A month later, he got that phone call from TX law enforcement. His son was dead.
Bottom Line
This all started with just one leaky vial, and it ended in a double suicide (or homicide), depending on who you believe. Being in this game then, is fraught with risk.
Just understand that, going in.
