EXCLUSIVE: Man accused of hiring hitman to kill his ex shares his story
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Leon Jacob, who is charged with hiring a hitman to kill his ex-girlfriend, spoke exclusively to Eyewitness News in a jailhouse interview.
He told ABC13 that he is not a monster.
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"This is not my shining moment in the spotlight," Jacob said, "It's very embarrassing what's happening to me and the situation I find myself in."
Jacob has been in jail without bond since March.
WATCH: Exclusive jailhouse interview with Leon Jacob
He celebrated his 40th birthday behind bars at the Harris County Jail, awaiting his day in court.
"The sun went down on March 9th, "Jacob said. "I have not seen the sun since."
He said jail life is troublesome.
"It's a world that I will never fully understand," Jacob said. "I've been in a few altercations. I've tried to use brain over brawn, if you will, to settle them. It hasn't always happened that way. For the most part, no one really bothers me because I don't bother them."
Jacob said life with his late girlfriend, Valerie McDaniel, was simple.
"We would watch movies and we were starting a little family if you will, and her parents would come over, we would cook dinner on Sunday night, it was nice," Jacob said. "If you're talking about why she ultimately killed herself, no, there was nothing wrong. In fact, it was the happiest that she had ever been."
ORIGINAL STORY: Couple accused of trying to hire hitman to kill their exes
When asked to address criticism he faced from some of Valerie's friends, he said he never isolated her.
"I in no way kept her from everybody. I think that it was something that was natural that we were together and she wasn't as available to her friends like any couple," Jacob said.
Jacob said he appreciates strong women.
"I started dating girls as soon as I realized what they had to offer, if you will, I've always loved women," Jacob said. "My grandmother moved in with us for most of the year after my dad died, my mother is a very headstrong alpha female, my cousin's the exact same way, all the women in our family are very strong."
Jacob was in and out of various medical schools. He said he was not kicked out.
"I had been training at some of the best institutions in the world and I went to this very small hospital," Jacob said. "A lot of the things I had learned here in Texas were not being utilized there per se, and I didn't mesh very well."
Jacob said the reason he moved to Ohio was not because he was dismissed.
"No, that's not what happened," Jacob said. "I was cutting it here just fine in transplantation."
Jacob is hoping the judge in his case will change his mind and grant bond.
"If I know what's true in my heart and what truly occurred in the earlier part of this year, I will be exonerated and I will go about my life," Jacob said. "I rebuilt myself once. I can do it again. I'm anything but lazy."
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