Its the new home of High Plains Bank in Wiggins. Mayor John Gates: This is some of the most bizarre stuff I've ever heard, and I've been around the block. WELD COUNTY, Colo. Steve Pankey was found guilty by a jury of felony murder and second-degree kidnapping on Monday in the 1984 death of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews. When Pankey was near the urn, Sakulenzki recalled he said something, but she didnt remember the exact words he used. Steve Pankey trial Day 5: Pankeys ex-wife calls defense attorney a Drake responded he had only seen her a few times and he most likely heard his mother make a comment about her being a mature girl for her age.. Steve Pankey Then she saw Hicks reaction to what Pankey said, and according to Sakulenzki, Hicks face was shocked and had a look that said, Drop it.. Darla Jentzsch: I'm so fortunate that we were neighbors. Hes my brother, and I love him, she said with a smile. Anthony Viorst: Well, here's what I'll say, Richard. And as of now, nobody has been convicted of murdering Jonelle. The best home improvement jobs deserve the best materials. But Jonelle was far from forgotten. The best home improvement jobs deserve the best materials. Anthony Viorst: Mr. Pankey likes to talk. Darla Jentzsch: It was such a mystery, this whole thing happened. 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He even agreed to a lie detector test, with an FBI agent. The big thing in policing now is DNA. Since Jonelles disappearance, Pankey said, investigators have asked multiple times to talk to him about her. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: He told me that a cop had contacted him and said that he had a body he wanted to be buried. He also wrote that he feared he might "get the death penalty for revealing the location of" her body. Sakulenzki remembers asking who he was talking about when he made the statement. So, Pankey said, he decided to speak publicly now, because of his concerns about law enforcements ideas about him, and because he is a public figure in light of his runs for office. Jim Matthews: The number one interrogator west of the Mississippi. And furthermore, Viorst told the jury that Pankey wasn't the only person who knew about those raked footprints. So, I might be a little more cynical than the average person. Jim Matthews: You have to go on with life. A construction crew found remains while excavating in rural Weld County, which includes Greeley, for a pipeline. Once youre accused of something like date rape, youre forever stigmatized, he said. For Pankey, it might have started getting a little hot under the limelight, if you will, when the state's star witness, Angela Hicks, took the stand. Pankey told the Statesman on Thursday that he was shocked when police searched his home. In 2019, Hicks and Pankey also had several phone calls throughout August in which her ex-husband requested her not to speak with police if they reached out about the Matthews case, Hicks said during her time on the stand. Pankey, a 2014 Constitution Party candidate for governor who also ran in the 2018 Republican primary, disclosed the investigation this week in interviews with the Idaho Statesman. Phoenix New Times But just five days before Christmas, Greeley learned it could not hide from evil. Deanna Ross: We rode our bikes a lot around town. STEVEN PANKEY: In the little jail cubicle before coming up here, I was praying and I was thinking, God, maybe I shouldn't testify Because I'd be just telling more lies. WebWhat Happened During Steve Pankeys Trial For The 1984 Murder Of Jonelle Matthews? They never released the information about the rake. Their son, Carl, was murdered in Phoenix in 2008. After hearing testimony from multiple witnesses, Steven Pankey took the stand. Please enter valid email address to continue. Steve Pankey: Where is Jonelle Matthews Killer Now? - The Richard Schlesinger: Well, at some point, your your name came outta that bucket of bizarre. Richard Schlesinger: Did your son ever see any unusual things at the Pankey house when he was over there? Zero physical evidence, OK? Pankey became a suspect in Jonelles murder the same year her remains were discovered, after Greeley police investigators took steps to modernize the case. There was one occasion where he made comments about how attractive younger girls were at the pool. And except for that meeting with the FBI, Pankey said he has never been formally interviewed by police about Jonelles disappearance, although they have tried. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. On Dec. 20, 1984, 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews went missing from her Greeley home after singing in a school choir concert. BOISE, Idaho Former Idaho gubernatorial candidate Steve Pankey is again claiming he's innocent. She just loves the whole festivities of Christmas. Anthony Viorst: That is arguably the one piece of evidence that arguably ties Mr. Pankey to the crime. The lack of reports and recordings from the first discussion between Olson and Drake raised concerns with Wells during her cross-examination. Or was he one that just surrounded himself with strange, bizarre behavior for years? There were no fingerprints and if there was DNA, law enforcement was still several years from being able to analyze it. As investigators struggled to find answers, they focused initially on Jonelle's father Jim Matthews. If that's the theory of the defense, did Pankey's time on the stand help him or hurt him? What happened to Carl Pankey? Republican candidate for Governor in Idaho Steve Pankey ran on being a Trump supporter who espoused traditional core values with a biblical and constitutional perspective. He is now on trial for murdering a 12 year old girl. Steve Pankey claims that seven days after Jonelle disappeared, his father-in-law a groundskeeper at a Greeley cemetery shared some disturbing information. Sakulenzki confirmed she reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2009 about Pankey, and to the Greeley Police Department in 2019. A day before the service, Hicks said, she witnessed a bizarre moment. Yeah, he worked for my father. Kelly Werthmann: People were ready. It may or may not have something to do with the Jonelle Matthews case. The retrial of Steven Pankey is scheduled for October 4, 2022. Along with Mark, Barr was unaware of past gun use by Pankey, but said she gave him the old gun recently. He mentioned Jonelle in a speech about missing children. Richard Schlesinger: The problem is there's no physical evidence. Mitch McConnell is a U.S. Senate Republican Leader. ANTHONY VIORST: Norris Drake, Ladies and gentlemen, knew that the footprints were raked. But over the years there was even more strange behavior, moments that, authorities believe add up to circumstantial evidence. That night, Daviet and her brother Dave were home, while Drake borrowed Daves truck to go to his mothers house. It may or may not have something to do with the Jonelle Matthews case.". But new evidence in the trial indicated when Pankey was a janitor at a school, he asked his wife to write a short story for him to give to a 17-year-old girl who was a student at the school. Steve Pankey A group of Greeley residents worked hard to keep Jonelle's story alive. Doreen Schechter is the producer-editor. Richard Schlesinger: He wanted to run against a fellow church member? On the stand, Olson stated Francis account from the night Jonelle went missing was the only information that led to an open lead in the 1984 case. One time, I guess their family dog was doing a lot of barking, and it was irritating Steven. They had to wait a little more than two years until October 2021, for this moment: opening statements in the trial of Steven Pankey. I never met Jonelle, I never met her family, I didnt know she existed or disappeared until Wednesday, Dec. 26 (1984), Pankey said. The Candidate for Governor Who Killed a Child: Whats Jim was eventually cleared, leaving no suspects or leads. STEVEN PANKEY: I wanna back up a little bit. When Drake woke up the next day, he came upstairs and asked if the Daviets had heard about Jonelles disappearance. If Pankey didn't kill Jonelle Matthews, then who did? When Steven Pankey swore to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, Gloria and Jim Matthews were hoping to finally get to the truth, about their daughter, Jonelle's, murder. I had no knowledge," Pankey said. I am giving you bits and pieces of evidence that hasnt been released, Olson said in the full 1989 interview with Drake, according to Wells. Hicks confirmed nothing was ever found on their property after law enforcement searched where Pankey was digging in their yard. to some extent, we're going to just have to face that. Anthony Viorst: That's the kind of thing that's happened to Mr. Pankey over the years. The police and court records of what happened with the charges are no longer available. And Viorst had more, based on testimony by a former girlfriend of Drake's. When it comes to landscape Did you know Your Butcher, Frank has super tasty delicatessen salads? JUDGE TIMOTHY KERNS: We the jury find the defendant Steven Dana Pankey guilty. Yost said this attorney was intimidating, and she felt threatened by his statements. But as it turns out, when Jonelle vanished in 1984, Pankey lived in Greeley about two miles from the Matthew home. The video showed Drake being questioned about his knowledge of the controlled evidence. Until a man living in Twin Falls Idaho, Steven Pankey, became a person interest. Claire St. Amant is the development producer. In the years after Jonelle disappeared, Drake was arrested on multiple unrelated misdemeanor charges. Steve Pankey was born in 1951 in Ventura, California. Andersen explained the car was what people in his business referred to as a boyfriend/girlfriend burn, where it was clear the car was burned from the inside by accelerant. Andersen said he remembers the car being reddish, but he could not swear to this statement either. His son was friends with Pankey's son, Mark. It's a case that has haunted the small Colorado city of Greeley. Kelly Werthmann: I mean, as a reporter, you start lookin' around tryin' to do some searching of who this person is. And that's why Gates became a prosecution witness. The friend, Rochelle Davy, formerly known as Rochelle Baxley, said the car startled and agitated Jonelle. As per reports, the 14-year-old was kidnapped and reportedly killed somewhere in Greeley, Colorado. He was different from others and didnt get along with most people. Jonelle became one of the first missing children whose photo appeared on milk cartons across America. You can't let this consume you. On top of this information, Viorst has constructed an argument that Drake was interested in young girls. Pankey also had an obsession with what Viorst referred to as murder mysteries. He loved the TV show Unsolved Mysteries and well-known unsolved murder cases, according to Hicks. Olson questioned how he gained this information from his mother, since he was unaware of anyone who would have told her, and she wasnt close with the Matthews family. STEVEN PANKEY: That's the first time I heard that there was a missing child. He has lived in the Aurora/Southeast Denver Metro area since 1965 and is an expert Getting ready for a yard project? STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I want to at least be on record that I talked to you, so I don't get possibly an obstruction of justice charge. Following a lengthy bench conference Tuesday, new evidence was introduced by Miller for a limited purpose that can be considered in regards to other factors, but cannot be considered in Pankeys conviction. Greeley's Mayor John Gates was 27 years old at the time, and a police officer. Prosecutors have announced they are ready for a new trial, because they still believe Jonelle was killed by Steven Pankey. It's just he is a strange guy. It was December 1984 when 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews vanished from her family's Greeley, Colorado home. Richard Schlesinger: See, that's weird. Drake and Yost lived together from 1985-1987. Pankey made an unusual witness in his own defense. Richard Schlesinger: What did you think of him? Richard Schlesinger: I know that you're a politician and not a priest, but did he seem in need of an exorcism? Steve Pankey found guilty in 1984 murder of Jonelle Matthews The comments made him suspicious given Jonelles disappearance, he said, so he reported them to the FBI rather than to local police. They've got rifles and they're pointing them at me. But denied he was obsessed with the news. Lowery will never forget the moment police told her that her son Trevor had died. WebPankey and Hicks lose their son In 2002, Hicks and Pankey finalized their divorce, and on July 4, 2008, their son Carl was murdered. Pankeys youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student, was shot and killed by his girlfriend in 2008 in Phoenix. 48 Hours: Who Killed Jonelle Matthews In 1984? - CBS Colorado But Angela Hicks says that day, her ex-husband was obsessed making her flip the dial in search of news about Jonelle's disappearance. As Pankey faces conviction, Viorst argues there is evidence that points to Drake, who is now deceased, as the culprit in kidnapping and killing Jonelle. They returned to Colorado on Dec. 26, 1984, he said, and heard the news of a missing child on the radio. About two years after 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews vanished from her home in Greeley, Colorado, her family made the painful decision to pack up and leave town. And she got really concerned when she found a note in the trash. JUDGE TIMOTHY KERNS: I realize the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the other counts and that is a perfectly acceptable way for a trial to conclude. Pankey's defense offered a different theory. But apparently Pankey knew. It was updated on August 6.]. That's when I started losing it. Richard Schlesinger: Do you believe that he was a threat to children in that church? Richard Schlesinger: It's a hell of a way to get the limelight. DA ROBERT MILLER: Describe what happens on December 21 at your house. It was pure hatred on my part. Anthony Viorst: I can't answer that because I can't get into his head but, but I do think it's a combination of sort of obsessive-compulsive behavior and you know, perhaps even mental illness. Brett Kavanaugh, associate justice of the US's Supreme Court, has been serving in th Former CIA officer Matt Castelli is running for Congress in the NY-21 district. Kelly Werthmann: He really wanted to make himself clear that he was framed. It had been nearly four decades since Jonelle Matthews was kidnapped from her home and murdered. Jim Matthews: She was interested in any kind of performing thing. A SWAT team arrived, rifles in hand, to search his cars and his condo, and the team seized his electronic devices and financial documents, Pankey said. He had a friendship with a younger girl, but Yost said she didnt believe there was anything romantic between the two. Richard Schlesinger: Do you remember being afraid? And I was an elementary principal. Ryan Horsley: Yeah. She says that shocked her because Pankey had forbidden radio and television use in their house, about a year earlier. She responded he had visions of grandeur, and it ran in their family. The defense attorney strived to bring this evidence into Pankeys defense from the testimony of Andrea Yost, the ex-wife of Drakes roommate in 1984 and a woman with whom he developed a romantic relationship. Barr testified she was told by an expert that the gun was un-fireable.. Pankey After Pankey left home, she said she was close with him, but they didnt remain in contact. Kelly Werthmann: This was a moment that this community had been waiting for a long time. A few days later, on Aug. 19, he said, law enforcement asked him for a DNA sample, and he gave it. Jim Matthews: The Rescue Jonelle Committee made all kinds of things happen. Carter and Pankey will begin at Stephens on Sept. 1. That's when Jonelle went to sing in a school choir concert. Olson said they found no criminatory evidence.. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I contacted the Fort Collins FBI office. His mother and sister lived across the street from the Matthews home, and he was at his mother's house the night Jonelle was taken. "And you always knew Jonelle was around [laughs]. But it was intense. Im trying to be transparent, he said. The objections resulted in several sidebars, one about a possible conversation Daviet had with Drake and another conversation she had with Englewood police.
