Murder suspect charged with sexual exploitation in new case

Joe Rim, who is charged with manslaughter in the 2022 death of Stephen Jacobo, has been indicted on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Rim was originally arrested several days after the shooting, but the Maricopa County Prosecutor’s Office sent the case back to the Mesa Police Department for further investigation. The 22-year-old was eventually arrested again last January.

The video in the player above includes previous ABC15 coverage of Jacobo’s murder.

According to court documents, the date the alleged crimes occurred is the same day Rim was arrested on murder charges. Court records show that Rim was indicted on ten counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, with the age specifically listed as under 15 years old.

Stephen’s father, Mark Jacobo, has spoken to ABC15 several times, as has he advocated for justice for his son. The murder case is still going through the courts and Rim has pleaded not guilty.

ABC15 contacted the Maricopa County Prosecutor’s Office, who confirmed the cases involved the same suspect, but said they could not release any further details.

“We cannot comment on the details of how these allegations arose,” MCAO communications staff said. “We have to maintain the integrity of the case.”

MCAO told ABC15 that each count of sexual exploitation of a minor has a range of 10-24 years and must be served consecutively. This means that if Rim were to go to trial and be found guilty on all ten charges, he could receive 100 to 240 years depending on the sentence.