By james art 
How do you become a silent witness?
What is a silent witness and how do you become one?
The Republic
A Gilbert man charged with second-degree murder has been charged with sexually exploiting a minor, the Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
The Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office alleges that 21-year-old Joe Rim sexually assaulted a minor under the age of 15 on the same day he was arrested for the second time.
Rome was charged on October 22 with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor that occurred on January 19. Details of the charge were not available.
In January, Rome was charged with the second-degree murder of Steven Jacobo, 18, who was shot and killed at a gathering to celebrate his birthday on November 6, 2022.
Rome, then 20, was arrested in the days after the shooting but never charged. MCAO sent the case back to Mesa Police for further investigation.
Rome was arrested again earlier this year after two additional witnesses led police to him, court documents show.
The facts: Mesa teenager killed the day after his 18th birthday. A Gilbert man has been charged with his murder
Before the shooting, Rome had convictions for aggravated assault, aggravated assault on law enforcement, assault, aggravated robbery, theft, criminal damage and disorderly conduct, according to court records.
He is being held in the Maricopa County Jail on $900,000 bond. His next court hearing in both cases is scheduled for December 3.
What happened to Steven Jacobo?
According to court documents, Jacobo was shot at a party in the early morning hours of Nov. 6, 2022.
A witness told police she saw Jacobo talking to Rome, pointing the gun at Rome’s waist. The two then got into an argument, which led to Rome allegedly shooting Jacobo in the neck, according to court documents.
Another witness, who was not in the room at the time of the shooting, woke up to the sound of gunshots and reportedly asked who shot Jacobo. Rome replied that he did, but “don’t call the cops,” court documents said.
Rome fled but was apprehended after two witnesses identified his driver’s license photo, court documents said.
Five other eyewitness accounts corroborate the events, two of which come eight months after the incident.
Those last two witnesses led the police to accuse Rome of shooting Jacobo.