Joe Acosta

Joe Acosta was a young father and a student straddling two worlds, trying to build a future for his family. Just 18 years old, the Hispanic man was originally from the border city of San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico. He had moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he was studying at Arizona State University. Friends and family remember him as a selfless and caring person, a new father who doted on his baby daughter. Photos shared after his death show him cradling his little girl, and loved ones recalled him as funny, happy, and someone who was always there when you needed him.

That future was cut short on the morning of Monday, April 23, 2018. At about 11:30 a.m., Joe walked into a west Valley hospital with a severe gunshot wound. Though he had made it there under his own power, his injury was grave. Despite the efforts of emergency room staff, he died shortly after his arrival. His death was immediately investigated as a homicide by the Phoenix Police Department.

Detectives traced the shooting to an abandoned property in west Phoenix, near 64th Avenue and Van Buren Street. At the scene, officers discovered evidence of the shooting, along with several stolen vehicles, suggesting a complex and dangerous environment. The investigation progressed, and soon police identified a primary suspect: 27-year-old Carlos Pacheco. Authorities announced they had developed probable cause to arrest Pacheco for Joe's murder.

Phoenix police released a flyer through Silent Witness, asking for the public's help in locating Pacheco, who was described as 5'9", 175 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Investigators also revealed they believed a second, unidentified male was involved in the shooting and was present at the abandoned property when Joe was killed. A reward was offered for information leading to an arrest, but for years, the case seemed to stall, with Pacheco remaining at large and the second man's identity unknown.

Years later, there were significant developments, though not directly related to Joe's case in public records. In December 2021, Carlos Pacheco was finally arrested after multiple encounters with law enforcement throughout that year, including one where he fled from a DPS trooper and another where he was observed selling fentanyl. In July 2024, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced that Pacheco had been sentenced to 17.5 years in prison following convictions on numerous charges, including sale of narcotic drugs, misconduct involving weapons, and unlawful flight from law enforcement, all stemming from his 2021 crime spree.

As of late 2024, while the man once named as the primary suspect in Joe Acosta's murder is behind bars for other serious felonies, the public record does not indicate that he has been formally tried or convicted for Joe's death. The homicide case remains a painful, unanswered question for his loved ones, who remember a young father with a big heart. The identity of the second man present at the shooting also remains a mystery. Anyone with information about the murder of Joe Acosta is encouraged to contact the Phoenix Police Department or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.