Pankey said he had a bad relationship with Greeley authorities afterward. Kelly Werthmann: People were ready. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I've never met Jonelle Matthews I've never met anybody in her family STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: Make sure the viewers hear that I voluntarily gave my DNA. STEVEN PANKEY: one lie leads to another. Moroever, the case remained hanging for more than 35 years until the remains of the young girl were discovered in 2019. Her murder went unsolved for 35 years until they found her body in 2019. Colorado courts do not have an online records system, so the Statesman on Thursday requested via U.S. mail copies of Pankeys criminal charges in Weld County. Sakulenzki remembers asking who he was talking about when he made the statement. It's believed she's the victim of a kidnapping. During Olsons time as an investigator at the DAs office, he testified he received three letters from Pankey, but told Wells he made no reports on this. Zero physical evidence, OK? Man Charged With Murder in 1984 Killing of Jonelle Matthews The best home improvement jobs deserve the best materials. Chelsea Narvaez is the associate producer. Sakulenzki was the last to testify Tuesday. Kelly Werthmann: To not have that definitive answer It's frustrating. Law enforcement records show that Pankey had other unrelated run-ins with Greeley police. By February 3, 2021, Pankey pleaded not guilty to those crimes. BOISE (Idaho Statesman) A former candidate for Idaho governor says he is under investigation in the killing of a 12-year-old girl in Colorado 35 years ago. Pankey, who resided in Idaho in the years leading up to his arrest, was a 33-year-old used car salesman living in Greeley with his then-wife and young son at the time of Jonelle's disappearance. STEVE PANKEY [to Werthmann]: If I gave my DNA, that would be kinda like a knockout blow . Investigators searched the Matthews home, but the only physical evidence they found were shoeprints in the snow that someone had tried to eliminate with a garden rake. Hicks stated Viorst, sounded like a bully in the first voicemail, which is why she never returned his calls. Pankeys relationship with Christy was not pleasant either, Hicks said. WebPankey, 71, is on trial for the 1984 kidnapping and murder of Jonelle Matthews. Russel Ross and Pastor James Christys names surfaced during the formation of Pankeys file. He said he moved to Greeley in 1973. On December 20, 1984, a 14-year-old girl, Jonelle Mathews was kidnapped from her home in Colorado, never to return. Pankey was a secretive man during their marriage, Hicks said. Pankey's ex-wife remembers him mentioning Jonelle The most Pankey families were found in USA in 1880. JUDGE TIMOTHY KERNS: Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict on count number four? ANTHONY VIORST: Norris Drake murdered Jonelle Matthews. The police and court records of what happened with the charges are no longer available. I said listen, "I have been very honest, I've been accessible to you any time you wanted, but I'm getting sick of this because I am innocent.". 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. Pankey is a representative of the Republican Party. Richard Schlesinger: What did you think of him? Kevin Schneider says he met the Pankey family when they first moved to Idaho. Around that same time, Steven Pankey, his young son and his wife, who was pregnant with their second son, also left Greeley. They made headlines. Steve Pankey allegedly killed a 14-year-old girl from Greeley, Colorado in 1984. Hicks said Pankey, over the years, would bring up Jonelle or react strangely when others did. But boy, just the floodgates opened up for both of us. Pankeys father believed a womans place was in the home, women had to obey her husband and other more traditional ideas of marriage. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. That was our sign that she made it inside and everything's fine. Because Norris Drake got her to leave the house. On October 12, 2020 Steven Pankey was arrested for the nearly 35-year-old kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews. PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN [March 7, 1985]: I learned about Jonelle Matthews of Greeley, Colorado. STEVE PANKEY ["Unfound" podcast]: In 1977, I was a youth pastor at the church. I remember being afraid. Steve Pankey Mr. Pankey loves the limelight all of the statements that he has made about his culpability have been, 'I didn't do it,'" Viorst told "48 hours" correspondent Richard Schlesinger as he prepped for the trial. STEVEN PANKEY: I spent a couple of hours in the basement jail area with my attorney and he was talking to me about my testimony Mr. Viorst was saying to me 'cause I would give certain things and he'd say, "well, that's a good answer." In 1999 he told the Idaho Supreme Court, after a conviction for once again causing a scene in a bank, that the conviction which was dismissed years later was in part an "attempt to force" him "to become an informant" in Jonelle's disappearance. Pankey told the Statesman on Thursday that he was shocked when police searched his home. Richard Schlesinger: The problem is there's no physical evidence. The selection changes often, but if you love good Buying or selling a home is the largest financial investment most people ever make. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: At the time I was married. But as it turns out, when Jonelle vanished in 1984, Pankey lived in Greeley about two miles from the Matthew home. He mentioned Jonelle in a speech about missing children. Carter served for the past three years as associate vice president of communications and institutional advancement at Triton College in River Grove, IL, where he oversaw development and implementation of the colleges mission, vision and three-year strategic plan. 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. Richard Schlesinger: He wanted to run against a fellow church member? STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I heard that a girl was missing from Greeley, Colorado. After being charged, he left the position. The six-page report is the only writing from the 1989 investigation Olson has seen within the last decade, he confirmed during cross-examination. Pankey was on the stand for two days giving testimony that was often rambling and hard to follow, and sometimes head-scratching. What happened? He says Norris Drake, whose mother lived across the street from Jonelle, is the killer. JUDGE TIMOTHY KERNS: We the jury find the defendant Steven Dana Pankey guilty. Pankey told the Statesman he was sure that after police had his DNA, they would stop investigating him. Steve Pankey went the other way after his youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student After hearing testimony from multiple witnesses, Steven Pankey took the stand. Daviet recalls sleeping on the couch right by the front door when Drake arrived home past midnight to go to his room in the basement. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I lived in Greeley, Colorado, from 1973 . Mr. Pankey wanted to be a person of interest. As investigators struggled to find answers, they focused initially on Jonelle's father Jim Matthews. Mayor John Gates: This is some of the most bizarre stuff I've ever heard, and I've been around the block. Carter and Pankey will begin at Stephens on Sept. 1. He's had periodic sort of spats with people because he is an irascible, prickly guy. In the interview played in court, Olson was the first one to bring up the shoe prints. And then on July 23, 2019, nearly 35 years after Jonelle's disappearance, police finally had that breaking news to share. Despite decades of ongoing police work and public interest, Jonelle's case remained cold. "It was just me trying to be a big man, be in the case, OK? Jim Matthews: You have to go on with life. Remember those footprints in the snow that somebody, possibly Jonelle's abductor, tried to conceal using a garden rake? Politician Lord Frost is one of the most prominent figures in the English government. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I contacted the FBI. The Sun Valley Police Department was taking this information to form a file on Pankeys possible involvement in the case to send over to the Greeley Police Department. Richard Schlesinger: You'd be the last people to whom something like this would happen, I would think. It was updated on August 6.]. Mayor John Gates: I think that part might've fit into the no-brainer category. DA MICHAEL ROURKE: The search for justice for Jonelle begins today. yes, I remember meeting him. He even mentioned them in a 2019 conversation, with investigators. Hicks on Monday said Pankey acted suspiciously in the days following Jonelles disappearance, including making their family leave town, fixating on the news coverage and digging a hole for hours outside their house. As of Thursday, no criminal charges had been filed. Before stepping down from the stand, Pankeys sister confirmed she refused to talk about the case with police on April 15. Steve Pankey was born in 1951 in Ventura, California. He was criminally charged, but the charge was later dismissed by prosecutors. but he took her he shot her. Her comments brought up Pankeys connections to family friends of the Matthews family, according to Hicks. But Jonelle was far from forgotten. 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. "[T]here's no indication that he committed this murder, no indication that he had anything to do with burying the body. And she later said it was nonconsensual. Everything to know about his ex-wife and son. The grand jury did find him guilty of false reporting. Jim Matthews was eventually cleared. During cross-examination, Viorst argued Pankey was not secretive when it came to the idea police were persecuting him for information, and how she testified she didnt suspect him to have involvement until 1999. How did he seem to you? On Monday, Hicks testified Pankey was less happy with his job when Ross became his boss at the 7 Up Bottling Company, especially after he was let go from his position over a legal battle Pankey started. Wells had to reword her questions to receive only yes or no responses about the witness reports. However, Olson said he called and left a voicemail after obtaining the first letter. Due to his business buying used cars and parts to sell to customers, Pankey would be in possession of several different cars. About 9:30 p.m., Jonelles father returned home from his other daughters basketball game to find Jonelle missing. In this article, we will look at the details of Ferdinand Marcos' first wife, Carmen Ortega, and his children. Multiple officers and investigators have confirmed in their testimonies that shoe prints were discovered in the snow of the family home the night Jonelle went missing and that the prints in the back of the home were raked over. Jim Matthews takes the stand in the trial of the man accused of the kidnapping and murder of his 12-year-old daughter Jonelle. Miller confronted Barr about her statements of loving her brother and believing he didnt commit murder through questioning their closeness. Claire St. Amant is the development producer. For 23 years, Hicks was married to 71-year-old Steve Pankey, who was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews in 1984. Her remains were discovered on July 24, 2019, and the trial for her murder began. Andersen said he remembers the car being reddish, but he could not swear to this statement either. Once the interviews with Drake and people he associated with him came to an end, law enforcement executed a search warrant of the Drake residence. He was suspicious of people and felt like everyone was always out to get him to the point where his dad made him go on walks to stop being so paranoid. By That's when I started losing it. WebThe Pankey family name was found in the USA, and the UK between 1840 and 1920. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. One of his cars was also engulfed in flames on their property around that time. 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. Richard Schlesinger: Oh, to cover them up. I mean, why would he say that if he didn't know where Jonelle Matthews was buried? She just loves the whole festivities of Christmas. In August 2019, nearly 35 years after Jonelle vanished, Gloria and Jim Matthews were finally able to lay her to rest. Additionally, there was no mention of Drakes shoe size in Olsons writings, and he couldnt remember the shoe size from memory during his testimony. Steve Pankey, a politician, a Christian, and Jonelles murderer, acted in a bizarre and disturbing way in the time leading up to the death of 12-year-old Jonelle, An attorney in North Carolina said if she didnt show up for the Pankey trial as a witness, she would go to jail. The woman eventually asked that the case be dismissed. Or was he one that just surrounded himself with strange, bizarre behavior for years? A day before the service, Hicks said, she witnessed a bizarre moment. Patti Aronofsky is the senior producer. STEVE PANKEY [Idaho Statesman political ad]: I'm one of the people who wants to represent you. Several reports say that he endured the death of his son but the details are unconfirmed. Richard Schlesinger: Arguably? 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"And you always knew Jonelle was around [laughs]. Isn't it? She described being forced to listen to news accounts about Jonelle's disappearance, and she told jurors about finding a piece of paper in Pankey's trash. The only physical evidence were those footprints in the fresh snow. And, once again, he didn't come close to winning. GREELEY, CO OCTOBER 13: Murder suspect Steven Pankey, right, listens to testimony on the first day of his trial at Weld County District Court on October 13, 2020 in And two days later they were back. Pankey was home with his family when Jonelle went missing, Viorst said, and he did not own a gun at the time. The trial starts back up at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday with a new witness on the stand. Jim Matthews: I just kept telling him, I said, "Listen, I'm telling you the truth. Richard Schlesinger: I'm sorry, did you say an exorcism? Yost said this attorney was intimidating, and she felt threatened by his statements. Deanna Ross: We rode our bikes a lot around town. Pankey became a suspect in Jonelles murder the same year her remains were discovered, after Greeley police investigators took steps to modernize the case. For the record, the Constitution Party denies Pankey or anyone else was exorcised at least by them. He said she lived across the street from his mothers home, according to Daviets testimony. That was about 8 p.m. Deanna Ross: Jonelle needed a ride home so she hopped in our truck and we took her home. Richard Schlesinger: Do you remember being afraid? And he calls Detective Jack Stotler and he identifies himself as a ordained Baptist minister. STEVEN PANKEY A month, three weeks, two months, I don't know, before December. In another jaw-dropping move, in that same letter Pankey also named himself as a person of interest, while still insisting he's innocent. The presentation confirmed there was no probable cause to bring the case to prosecution due to a lack of evidence, Olson said. He had a friendship with a younger girl, but Yost said she didnt believe there was anything romantic between the two. MAYOR JOHN GATES: I was sitting at my desk one day some time back. And six weeks after Jonelle's remains were discovered, authorities were at Pankey's front door with a search warrant. DA ROBERT MILLER: Describe what happens on December 21 at your house. Around that same time, Steven Pankey, his young son and his wife, who was pregnant with their second son, also left Greeley. He lost, but Pankey still wanted to be sheriff somewhere. But keep in mind, I'm a 26-year law enforcement veteran. A group of Greeley residents worked hard to keep Jonelle's story alive. The bucket of bizarre means a lot to me. He claimed that he had contact with somebody who had information about Jonelle's disappearance. Olson said they found no criminatory evidence.. The trial took place but the verdict came in the favor of the politician. If Pankey didn't kill Jonelle Matthews, then who did? Pankeys youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student, was shot and killed by his girlfriend in 2008 in Phoenix. And Pankey himself took the stand. Darla Jentzsch: Oh, yeah. After an Aug. 13, 2013, phone call with the suspect, he still did not make a report, but Viorst said Olson wasnt in charge of investigating Pankey. And yet he picks up the phone. Who is Steve Pankey Ryan Horsley: I think that was his last-ditch effort, honestly. She reported seeing Drake sit in his vehicle for a while, as if he was staring at something. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: They've got full SWAT gear on. 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. A few days later, on Aug. 19, he said, law enforcement asked him for a DNA sample, and he gave it. Hicks confirmed nothing was ever found on their property after law enforcement searched where Pankey was digging in their yard. But in reality, there was no sign of Jonelle. CHIEF MARK JONES [to reporters]: To the Matthews family, I pray that this news brings you some closure and hope as we continue to pursue justice for Jonelle and your family. Richard Schlesinger: Was Pankey questioned at all in the early days of this investigation? DA MICHAEL ROURKE [to reporters]: It is with great honor today that we announce that the grand jury indicted an individual named Steven Dana Pankey for the kidnapping and murder of Jonelle Matthews. In the years after Jonelle disappeared, Drake was arrested on multiple unrelated misdemeanor charges. During her testimony, she said Pankey talked about how the snow was raked outside of the Matthews home. You can't let this consume you. Pankey said he left Greeley in 1987 and hasnt been back to Colorado since. ANGELA HICKS: He said, "get us ready to go. Gloria Matthews: We are going to know that she was murdered [crying]. Though Mitch McConnell has revealed about backing Trump for the 2024 presidential election, he has not confirmed about his re-election in 2022. Pankeys overall attitude toward the church and both men involved was negative, and he would get angry when their names would come up in conversation, according to Hicks. On Monday evening, the courtroom was adjourned and left off with Hicks testifying in tears over her ex-husbands comments about the Jonelle Matthews case. Steve Pankey and Angela Hicks' son, Carl, was murdered in 2008. Prior to appearing in court Wednesday, Yost informed Viorst she had no desire to testify and felt like she didnt have anything to say that would make a difference in this case. Hicks reflected back to that moment, during her testimony, when she heard him say, I hope God didnt allow this to happen because of Jonelle Matthews.. Jonelle Matthews was laid to rest nearly 35 years after her disappearance. Mark Pankey, the first child of Pankey and his ex-wife, Angela Hicks, was called to the stand by Viorst to discuss his fathers behavior and his accounts from his childhood. I have nothing to hide.. And they may have to do it all again. Until a man living in Twin Falls Idaho, Steven Pankey, became a person interest. "One lie leads to another.". In the video, Viorsts alternative suspect was accused of being the first person to tell different sources about this unknown information not available to the public. Pankey himself would take the stand. ANTHONY VIORST: So that's why there was no struggle, all right? He does. Pankey made an unusual witness in his own defense. They planned to leave at 5 a.m. the next day for the drive to Big Bear Lake to visit his parents. Richard Schlesinger: What do you think happened to your sister? Thats why its so important to That great looking new building in Wiggins? Angela Hicks says her then-husband came home and seemingly out of the blue, announced they were leaving on that trip to California and they were leaving quickly. Kevin Schneider: Yes, he did. As a follow up, investigators interviewed people including Drake, his mother, his sister, his first wife, possibly his first wifes father, Connie Daviet, who was his roommates sister, Dave Daviet, who was Drakes roommate, and Yost. Hicks shared a story Monday about witnessing her husband drive past the church following his removal. He had abducted her on Dec 20th, 1984 from her home after she came home from a Christmas concert. When police arrived, Lowery was still upstairs on the phone with 911. Jordan Kinsey, Elizabeth Caholo and Lauren A. STEVEN PANKEY: He told me that a cop had contacted him and said that he had a body he wanted to be buried. Steve Pankey trial: Matthews family denies knowing Pankey Mitch McConnell is a U.S. Senate Republican Leader. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: It would be in the back of my mind about this case so I called the guy who lived next door I just asked, "did they ever resolve that Jonelle Matthews thing?" But Jim Matthews, who joined that same church not long after Pankey left, says there's another commandment Pankey seems to be having trouble with: thou shalt not bear false witness. I just wanted to not be married to him anymore, she 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. Steve Packey is currently awaiting trial for her murder. Police even reported Pankey offered the same deal to other law enforcement agencies. At first, he thought Jonelle was at a friend's house, but after calling around and waiting about a half hour to an hour, Jim says he called police. Anthony Viorst: There was a sexual encounter. ANGELA HICKS: And one of the things notated in his handwriting on this piece of legal paper was snow outside the Matthews house was raked. Although, later in life, Pankey started collecting guns, including an older gun given to him by his sister, Teri Barr. Ryan N. Smith is a development producer. What happened to Carl Pankey? There was one occasion where he made comments about how attractive younger girls were at the pool. five days before Christmas, Jonelle disappeared from her home. She turned herself in to police last Wednesday. During his trial in 2019, his ex-wife, Angela Hicks explained his odd behavior in her testimony as well. Hicks told Viorst she never had any suspicions of Pankey having a sexual interest in anyone other than adults. 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. The selection changes often, but if you love good Buying or selling a home is the largest financial investment most people ever make. Greeley Mayor John Gates was on the witness list. Richard Schlesinger: I know that you're a politician and not a priest, but did he seem in need of an exorcism? And that's why Gates became a prosecution witness. at their state convention, he claimed that they tried to do an exorcism on him. Pankey said two Greeley detectives came to his condo around Aug. 15 and asked to interview him, but he told them that he would speak to them only if his attorney was present. Jim Matthews: We knew that we wanted to give her a dignified burial and I'm not a real emotional person. Then they had another one with the local police. Hicks recalled feelings of her blood running cold when Pankey told her about trouble he had with the Sun Valley Police Department for not giving officers information he claimed to have about the missing girl in Greeley. I'm telling you everything I know." STEVEN PANKEY: I wanna back up a little bit. Jim Matthews: Yeah, right out of my garage. Officers told Hicks that Pankey was the one who claimed to have information involving Jonelles disappearance but refused to give the police anything until they gave him immunity, she said. Her remains were discovered on July 24, 2019, and the trial for her Wells objected several times in Viorsts direct examination of Daviet, with many of Viorsts questions deemed leading and relying on hearsay evidence. Pankeys youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student, was shot and killed by his girlfriend in 2008 in Phoenix. He said he has repeatedly told them that he wont speak without his attorney. In a matter of three days, on October 12, 2020, police arrested Pankey for kidnapping and first-degree murder in Jonelle's case. Idaho Falls news, Rexburg news, Pocatello news, East Idaho news, Idaho news, education news, crime news, good news, business news, entertainment news, Feel Good Friday and more. He was surprised when they didnt. It's a wild sounding story and "48 Hours" can't confirm it or even that he went to the FBI. I had no knowledge," Pankey said. Since Mark was freshly 5 years old during 1984, Assistant District Attorney Robb Miller questioned if his memories were reliable. The interviewer in the 1989 video of Drake also addressed past comments reportedly made by him, these included that he knew Jonelle and noticed she was maturing. At the time, Pankey and his former wife lived about 2 miles away. He even agreed to a lie detector test, with an FBI agent. During Statler's testimony, he indicated he received a call from Pankey three weeks after Jonelle's disappearance. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The lack of reports and recordings from the first discussion between Olson and Drake raised concerns with Wells during her cross-examination. The first trial ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous Despite Viorsts difficulty advancing in his examination, Yosts testimony revealed the following information about Drake: In 1989, Yost had an interview with Greeley Police Detective Keith Olson in which she made statements that Drake looked at young girls in binoculars.
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