MESA, AZ — Joe Rim, the man accused in the death of 18-year-old Stephen Jacobo is expected to be in court on April 29.
The teen was shot and killed in November 2022 at an apartment near Southern Avenue and Dobson Road in Mesa.
With the two-year mark just months away, Stephen's dad Mark Jacobo said he still hasn't accepted that his son is gone. Mark cried as he showed ABC15 the pictures and items that once belonged to his son.
"Every day feels like it just happened," said Mark. "So it doesn't get any easier."
Stephen had just turned 18, in November of 2022 when he was shot and killed. His dad said he was celebrating his birthday with friends.
Mark described his son as loving and caring, saying Stephen had a passion for music and grew up playing baseball.
Memories of his son keep Mark moving forward as his family shifts their focus to the courtroom.
"Most importantly, Joe Rim has been put behind bars," said Mark. "So that was the most, you know, one of the things that we were trying to be so patient with."
Rim was first arrested days after the shooting, but the Maricopa County Attorney's Office wanted additional information to strengthen the case. It wasn't until January 2024 that Rim was arrested again and indicted for second-degree murder.
"We met up about a month ago with our prosecuting attorneys," said Mark. "Just to you know share who my son is."
Stephen's family shared his story at a Mesa City Council meeting and even with Gilbert's Teen Violence Subcommittee.
Mark has also been working on afoundation named in honor of his son.
"We kind of play both sides to bring awareness, educate people, and also support families and kids that are going through what we're going through," said Mark.
Mark tells ABC15 he has been working on the foundation for about a year and hopes to be a resource for families and even provide mentorship for teens.
"It's important, you know, to us to just kind of redirect families and youth as well," said Mark. "This could happen to anybody because we definitely never thought we would be going through this right now."
Rim remains in custody, his attorneys did not have a comment for ABC15.
