Last night it emerged that Jacob, 37, had been looking for a safe supposedly containing thousands of pounds, which he had been told that Mr Cooke had at his home.
So he and his accomplice allegedly confronted the father-of-one on Saturday evening at his detached four-bedroom home in the affluent district of Bramhall, which boasts millionaire footballers and soap stars as residents.
It also became clear that forensic officers are examining two knives found at the scene.
One belonged to the attacker but the other belonged to Mr Cooke.
This appears to contradict earlier indications that Jacob may have been stabbed with his own knife.
Jacob had been jailed numerous times for theft, robbery and burglary over the past 20 years. He had also been jailed for 18 months for grievous bodily harm after beating a man senseless.
The police source said: ‘Raymond Jacob was known to us as a persistent offender.
‘Obviously we will be conducting a full investigation into how he met his death.
'The file will then be handed to the Crown Prosecution Service for them to decide on possible charges.’
Chief Superintendent Rebekah Sutcliffe said there was ‘no connection as far as we know’ between Mr Cooke and Jacob.
Mr and Mrs Cooke drive luxury cars, a £70,000 gold Maserati Gran Turismo and a silver Range Rover both with personalised registration plates.
Detectives say they will investigate whether the couple were targeted because they were obviously wealthy.
No shit SHerlock
Couldn't make it up, could you?
Priceless.
