He maintains the sex was consensual. STEVEN PANKEY A month, three weeks, two months, I don't know, before December. Its the new home of High Plains Bank in Wiggins. Pankey told the Statesman he was sure that after police had his DNA, they would stop investigating him. Mayor John Gates: Well, I think from a law enforcement perspective, the fact that the case was 37 years old. Kelly Werthmann and others covering the trial had never heard the name Norris Drake before, butunlike PankeyDrake had been questioned by police about Jonelle's disappearance. And we just had a very full life. Her murder went unsolved for 35 years until they found her body in 2019. We were totally clueless about this guy. Richard Schlesinger: Is that in any way believable to you? Pankey was home with his family when Jonelle went missing, Viorst said, and he did not own a gun at the time. 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.. Jim Matthews: You have to go on with life. Cross-examination from Wells highlighted there were no matching shoe prints between the Drake residence and the Matthews residence to the prints found in the back of home. By The six-page report is the only writing from the 1989 investigation Olson has seen within the last decade, he confirmed during cross-examination. It had been nearly four decades since Jonelle Matthews was kidnapped from her home and murdered. 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. Marshals Service and Montgomery County Police. 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. Anthony Viorst: It has nothing to do with this case. 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. At trial, Viorst told the jury that Pankey was a true-crime junkie. They returned to Colorado on Dec. 26, 1984, he said, and heard the news of a missing child on the radio. The trial took place but the verdict came in the favor of the politician. The best home improvement jobs deserve the best materials. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I knew more than I wanted to know, OK. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I told the FBI I want to talk to you. STEVEN PANKEY: It was just me trying to be a big man, be in the case, OK? Judge Timothy Kerns sustained the objections, denying most of Viorsts questions. Mayor John Gates: I had met him in about the mid-1970s. Pankey was a secretive man during their marriage, Hicks said. 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. His father was a Youth for Christ leader, and Pankey claimedthat he came from a family with a long history of He mentioned Jonelle in a speech about missing children. He also wrote that he feared he might "get the death penalty for revealing the location of" her body. He cannot swear to his accounts, but he remembers the name Pankey and his little foreign car that was burned from the inside. Steve Pankey allegedly killed a 14-year-old girl from Greeley, Colorado in 1984. DAY 18 | LIVE UPDATES: Witness describes pink, foamy substance found on Tammy Daybells mouth as 911 calls are played in court, High school assistant softball coach charged after allegedly sexually abusing student athlete, Teen accused of fatal rock throwing took picture of victims car as a memento, affidavits say, Two people in custody after morning traffic stop in Idaho Falls ends with car in canal, NWS issues flood warning for river, street department offers sandbags. Jim Matthews: We had never heard the name Steve Pankey. But just five days before Christmas, Greeley learned it could not hide from evil. Jonelle Matthews was laid to rest nearly 35 years after her disappearance. A construction crew found remains while excavating in rural Weld County, which includes Greeley, for a pipeline. It's just he is a strange guy. All right? Who is Steve Pankey Pankey told the Statesman on Thursday that he was shocked when police searched his home. The trial for Steve Pankey, the 70-year-old man accused of kidnapping and murdering 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews in December 1984, began Wednesday with opening statements addressing his obsession with her case, his Aspergers condition and his confessions to involvement and knowledge surrounding her disappearance. They also testified this information was never made public. STEVEN PANKEY: one lie leads to another. Hes my brother, and I love him, she said with a smile. Steve Pankey claims that seven days after Jonelle disappeared, his father-in-law a groundskeeper at a Greeley cemetery shared some disturbing information. In July 2019, Jonelles remains were found at an oil and gas site in rural Weld County, and it was determined she died from a gunshot wound to the head. Zero physical evidence, OK? Pankeys youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student, was shot and killed by his girlfriend in 2008 in Phoenix. Mayor John Gates: I could see that goin' either way. Sakulenzki confirmed she reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2009 about Pankey, and to the Greeley Police Department in 2019. Drake became noticeably upset by questions regarding the hold-back evidence and said he felt bad because he didnt see anything and he was right there.. He had compulsions, including touching walls multiple times before he left the room and coming back to re-touch the walls, as well as pacing. August 6, 2022 / 10:03 PM Connie Daviet, who was staying at her brothers house the night of Jonelles disappearance, was a key witness on Wednesday. at their state convention, he claimed that they tried to do an exorcism on him. With no real evidence of what happened to the 12-year-old, the case went cold. Steve Pankey found guilty in 1984 murder of Jonelle Matthews Around that same time, Steven Pankey, his young son and his wife, who was pregnant with their second son, also left Greeley. Jim Matthews: They sent two or three detectives out and started searching the house for clues. The lack of reports and recordings from the first discussion between Olson and Drake raised concerns with Wells during her cross-examination. Then they had another one with the local police. Hicks said he indicated he was in interviews from 2019, which will be shown later in the trial. Jim and Gloria Matthews had moved to Greeley just six years earlier, to raise their young daughters Jennifer and Jonelle. Richard Schlesinger: What made that campaign a dumpster fire? Anthony Viorst: Mr. Pankey loves the limelight. But in reality, there was no sign of Jonelle. Before stepping down from the stand, Pankeys sister confirmed she refused to talk about the case with police on April 15. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: We went to California to be with my parents for Christmas. Olson said they found no criminatory evidence.. And Pankey himself took the stand. Everything to know about his ex-wife and son. Hicks continued testifying from early Tuesday morning into the afternoon, and is subject to be recalled back to testify again, according to Judge Timothy Kerns. Lowery will never forget the moment police told her that her son Trevor had died. He was criminally charged, but the charge was later dismissed by prosecutors. Richard Schlesinger: Where was he the night Jonelle Matthews disappeared? Who killed Jonelle Matthews? What her suspected killer Steve vice presidents for enrollment management and Sometimes he was happy and other times he was moody. (CBS4) -- A child's disappearance from Greeley in 1984 went cold, until the remains of Jonelle Matthews were found in July 2019. Richard Schlesinger: Why would he interject himself into the case? By February 3, 2021, Pankey pleaded not guilty to those crimes. And on October 13, 2021, a jury was seated and ready to hear the case. Steve Packey is currently awaiting trial for her murder. Jim Matthews: He was not a youth worker at our church. Andersen said he remembers the car being reddish, but he could not swear to this statement either. So, I might be a little more cynical than the average person. Mayor John Gates: I do. Drakes account of receiving information came from his mother, according to his interview. Richard Schlesinger: I know that you're a politician and not a priest, but did he seem in need of an exorcism? 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. ANTHONY VIORST: So that's why there was no struggle, all right? Their son, Carl, was murdered in Phoenix in 2008. As of Thursday, no criminal charges had been filed. That's when Jonelle went to sing in a school choir concert. of course, you know, you think that's terrible, but lots of kids go missing, you know. Showbiz Corner BOISE, Idaho Former Idaho gubernatorial candidate Steve Pankey is again claiming he's innocent. Doreen Schechter is the producer-editor. I believe in him, Barr said just before stating she doesnt think her brother is guilty of Jonelles murder. As per reports, the 14-year-old was kidnapped and reportedly killed somewhere in Greeley, Colorado. Ryan Horsley says that's when Pankey started collecting guns. And even President Ronald Reagan got involved. As currently indicated, Karl Banke was the youngest child of Stephen Banke. KELLY WERTHMANN: Did you kill Jonelle Matthews? DA Michael Rourke: He wasn't a person of interest. The judge declared a mistrial. Jordan Kinsey, Elizabeth Caholo and Lauren A. And that's why Gates became a prosecution witness. My dad waited until he saw her flick on the light. Steven Pankey Indictment in Jonelle Matthews Murder Update And I think my jaw probably hit my desk, and I said, "What?". The rake came, "right out of my garage," Jim Matthews told "48 Hours.". His 1980 Toyota Corolla was packed to visit family in California for the Christmas holiday. Hicks told Viorst she never had any suspicions of Pankey having a sexual interest in anyone other than adults. He said he won all the trials. Richard Schlesinger: You'd be the last people to whom something like this would happen, I would think. | On January 8, 2022 09:21 PM. During the tense moment in the courtroom, Hicks said Viorsts commentary in the ViacomCBS 48 Hours program that aired in March sounded shady and rubbed her the wrong way. He said he moved to Greeley in 1973. Richard Schlesinger: Did your son ever see any unusual things at the Pankey house when he was over there? He's had periodic sort of spats with people because he is an irascible, prickly guy. Pankey was seen in what was described by multiple witnesses as an orange-red vehicle over the years. Steve Pankey Pankey was even unaware of the gender and names of her children, according to a statement he made in January 2021, Miller said. Of course, the prosecution also has Pankey's own words. It was pure hatred on my part. Until a man living in Twin Falls Idaho, Steven Pankey, became a person interest. LOCAL NEWS REPORT: A major development to tell you about in a mystery that is more than three decades old. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: At the time I was married. It builds a really, really strong circumstantial case, in my mind. It's emotional. The next step in the investigation was gathering the evidence Olson collected to present to the the Weld District Attorneys Office. Deanna Ross: That I'd see her the next day, at school. One of his cars was also engulfed in flames on their property around that time. Incriminating statements, lack of physical evidence again at No one knows where she'll spend her birthday. JIM MATTHEWS | Jonelle's father [on the witness stand]: She could have been lured out of the house and gullible because she was 12 years old. WebPankey and Hicks lose their son In 2002, Hicks and Pankey finalized their divorce, and on July 4, 2008, their son Carl was murdered. He was different from others and didnt get along with most people. Richard Schlesinger: Well, at some point, your your name came outta that bucket of bizarre. 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. Just like that, Darla lost her childhood friend. Her remains were discovered on July 24, 2019, and the trial for her Hicks described their relationship as bitter enemies.. Drake first became a suspect when the case was dropped on Olsons desk in 1989. 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?" On the night Jonelle vanished, Drake was unaccounted for for several hours. The other counts were were far more complex than that, in my opinion. As a result, Steve Pankey was arrested and taken under custody. But when did he go missing? Mayor Gates thinks there's plenty of evidence against Pankey. Pankey was found guilty in the murder of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews in Greeley in 1984. Pankey depicted this notion of enemies when he made Christy the villain in his fiction writings, according to assistant district attorney Robb Miller. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I heard that a girl was missing from Greeley, Colorado. The boys body was discovered in a storage unit in the 5000 block of E. The retrial of Steven Pankey is scheduled for October 4, 2022. Steve Pankey trial: Matthews family denies knowing Pankey After being charged, he left the position. But Pankeys younger sister also testified her brother softened and described the recent nice things he did prior to his arrest, like his trips to Pakistan and visiting his mother in a nursing home. Carter and Pankey will begin at Stephens on Sept. 1. Darla Jentzsch: We all lived with our front doors open. In total, he said the word rake 11 times, compared to Drake saying it twice, Wells said. Like that story he once told law enforcement about his father-in-law. It was updated on August 6.]. STEVEN PANKEY: I had never imagined Angie would be as big a liar as I am. Pankey had an interesting next move: he ran for sheriff again. WebThe Pankey family name was found in the USA, and the UK between 1840 and 1920. Claire St. Amant is the development producer. The grand jury did find him guilty of false reporting. They never had conversations about his life, and she said she had to stay out of his business.. She just loves the whole festivities of Christmas. Hicks remembers Pankey saying, Do you really think I would hurt her when she looked so much like you?. Jonelle became one of the first missing children whose photo appeared on milk cartons across America. five days before Christmas, Jonelle disappeared from her home. But by then, defense attorney Anthony Viorst had silenced his chatty new client. ANGELA HICKS: He wanted me to read each article out loud to him. 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 August 2019, nearly 35 years after Jonelle vanished, Gloria and Jim Matthews were finally able to lay her to rest.