Anthony Viorst: Well, here's what I'll say, Richard. And there was something odd about them. 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. Jonelle Matthews' mother, father, and sister were the first to testify at the trial for her suspected killer, Steve Pankey. Steve Pankey was once a candidate for governor of Idaho. When it comes to landscape Did you know Your Butcher, Frank has super tasty delicatessen salads? The retrial of Steven Pankey is scheduled for October 4, 2022. Alleged Chinese spy, Christine Lee's son worked for MP Barry Gardiner and they are not related biologically. PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN [March 7, 1985]: I learned about Jonelle Matthews of Greeley, Colorado. 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.. He lost, but Pankey still wanted to be sheriff somewhere. And six weeks after Jonelle's remains were discovered, authorities were at Pankey's front door with a search warrant. "And you always knew Jonelle was around [laughs]. Richard Schlesinger: Oh, to cover them up. The lack of reports and recordings from the first discussion between Olson and Drake raised concerns with Wells during her cross-examination. Mayor John Gates: Well, I think from a law enforcement perspective, the fact that the case was 37 years old. Pankey is a representative of the Republican Party. However, the grand jury found him guilty for false reporting only as he walks free. Judge Timothy Kerns sustained the objections, denying most of Viorsts questions. Greeley Mayor and former police officer John Gates knew Steven Pankey, and says he was not considered a person of interest in the early days when Jonelle first disappeared. Ryan Horsley: To halt any investigation, to halt him getting arrested. A crew digging a pipeline in a remote stretch of land just southeast of Greeley had discovered human remains with a gunshot wound to the head. It builds a really, really strong circumstantial case, in my mind. Pankey made an unusual witness in his own defense. On October 12, 2020 Steven Pankey was arrested for the nearly 35-year-old kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews. I think to this day he harbors a grudge to Russ Ross, Hicks said on the stand. When police arrived, Lowery was still upstairs on the phone with 911. In 2008, he ran for sheriff in Shoshone once again. On top of this information, Viorst has constructed an argument that Drake was interested in young girls. It was pure hatred on my part. Upon reviewing the full case, Olson testified to finding a supplement containing an account from Francis Drake, Norris Drakes mother. The only evidence left behind were shoeprints in the snow shoeprints someone tried to erase with a garden rake. Jim was eventually cleared, leaving no suspects or leads. She responded he had visions of grandeur, and it ran in their family. Ultimately, her disappearance became a cold case up until her remains were discovered in a Weld County oil and gas site on July 23, 2019. Kelly Werthman: But it raised some significant and, I think, important questions. I just wanted to not be married to him anymore, she said. He's had periodic sort of spats with people because he is an irascible, prickly guy. I said "I want to talk to you. They returned to Colorado on Dec. 26, 1984, he said, and heard the news of a missing child on the radio. that told me that I'd been named as a person of interest in this case by Mr. Pankey. If that's the theory of the defense, did Pankey's time on the stand help him or hurt him? Like that story he once told law enforcement about his father-in-law. ANTHONY VIORST: He lives in a world of conspiracy, paranoia and low self-esteem. In 1840 there were 8 Pankey families living in In the years after Jonelle disappeared, Drake was arrested on multiple unrelated misdemeanor charges. And yet he picks up the phone. Barr did attest to his behavior being unusual when he decided to run for office on multiple occasions, because of his lack of experience. Since the beginning of trial, Viorst has argued Drake was across the street at his mothers home the evening of December 1984, making him a plausible suspect. Ryan Horsley: I was kind of confused because our local sheriff actually went to our church. And I was an elementary principal. Authorities searched a home in Twin Falls, Idaho. Hicks had no recollection of Pankey being away the night Jonelle went missing or that night being different from other nights since her husband would come home anytime between 4-11 p.m. on most days, Hicks told Viorst. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: At the time I was married. I mean, why would he say that if he didn't know where Jonelle Matthews was buried? Instead, he called a lawyer, according to Olson. He was described as immature, hung out with a younger crowd and focused on partying. An attorney in North Carolina said if she didnt show up for the Pankey trial as a witness, she would go to jail. he's ran for governor two times. Ryan Horsley: Out of the blue he began, um, purchasing firearms and later found out that Greeley Police Department had been contacting him regarding this murder investigation. "Always seemed to kind of be the life of the party," Jim Matthews fondly recalled of Jonelle. The grand jury did find him guilty of false reporting. The ex-wife of Steve Pankey, the 70-year-old man accused of murdering Jonelle Matthews in 1984, confirmed during the second week of his trial in Weld District Court there was physical abuse present in her relationship with Pankey. And then on July 23, 2019, nearly 35 years after Jonelle's disappearance, police finally had that breaking news to share. In response, Mark testified his father did not change and their relationship remained the same. His son was friends with Pankey's son, Mark. He told that if his Republicans gain control of the 56-year-old Lord David Frost shocked the British people after his sudden departure from his position as the Brexit minister. Steven Dana Pankey was born in 1951 in Ventura, CA. Pankey was seen in what was described by multiple witnesses as an orange-red vehicle over the years. This timeline indicated the family was watching The Cosby Show from 7-9 p.m. Olson testified he checked the TV guide and confirmed the times match up with the statements. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: On the 26th we were driving back. Like his father, Pankey also believed in these viewpoints, according to Hicks. On the night Jonelle vanished, Drake was unaccounted for for several hours. Pankey was home with his family when Jonelle went missing, Viorst said, and he did not own a gun at the time. Pankey, 71, is on trial for the second time for her kidnapping and murder. Last year, his first trial ended with a hung jury on the kidnapping and murder charges, but he was convicted for false reporting after he admitted to lying to law enforcement about the case during his testimony. The Pankey family bounced around from state to state for a while. Everything to know about his ex-wife and son. That was just one day after Jonelle disappeared. Hicks also stated in her testimony that Pankey banned radio, TV and news from their household around the time Jonelle went missing. Remember those footprints in the snow that somebody, possibly Jonelle's abductor, tried to conceal using a garden rake? A group of Greeley residents worked hard to keep Jonelle's story alive. WebPankey and Hicks lose their son In 2002, Hicks and Pankey finalized their divorce, and on July 4, 2008, their son Carl was murdered. Right off the bat, Barr, Pankeys sister who is four years younger than the 70-year-old suspect, identified Pankey. Andersen said he remembers the car being reddish, but he could not swear to this statement either. According to his own website, his father was a Youth For Christ Leader. WebWhat happened to Steve Pankey son? Around that same time, Steven Pankey, his young son and his wife, who was pregnant with their second son, also left Greeley. 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. ANTHONY VIORST: Norris Drake had an interest in young girls who had recently reached puberty, exactly what Jonelle was, exactly. Jim Matthews: You have to go on with life. Pankey went on trial in October 2021. But it was intense. The trial took place but the verdict came in the favor of the politician. Richard Schlesinger: Why would he interject himself into the case? The judge declared a mistrial. She loves presents. Carter and Pankey will begin at Stephens on Sept. 1. And furthermore, Viorst told the jury that Pankey wasn't the only person who knew about those raked footprints. 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. And then I'd say other things and he'd say, "well, that's bull nobody's going to buy that.". Because Norris Drake got her to leave the house. When Pankey was near the urn, Sakulenzki recalled he said something, but she didnt remember the exact words he used. And they may have to do it all again. On Wednesday, Olson took the stand to explain his involvement in the 1989 investigation into Jonelles disappearance. JUDGE TIMOTHY KERNS: We the jury find the defendant Steven Dana Pankey guilty. Greeley's Mayor John Gates was 27 years old at the time, and a police officer. At least they did until that night December 20. WebWhat Happened During Steve Pankeys Trial For The 1984 Murder Of Jonelle Matthews? 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. He doesnt talk much about his mother, but generally gives the impression that he was raised in a very religious family. Although, later in life, Pankey started collecting guns, including an older gun given to him by his sister, Teri Barr. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I contacted the FBI. But in reality, there was no sign of Jonelle. He maintains the sex was consensual. Law enforcement records show that Pankey had other unrelated run-ins with Greeley police. Police even reported Pankey offered the same deal to other law enforcement agencies. Richard Schlesinger: Well, at some point, your your name came outta that bucket of bizarre. The trial starts back up at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday with a new witness on the stand. Anthony Viorst: That's the kind of thing that's happened to Mr. Pankey over the years. Ryan Horsley: He's ran for lieutenant governor once. 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.. The six-page report is the only writing from the 1989 investigation Olson has seen within the last decade, he confirmed during cross-examination. Showbiz Corner Richard Schlesinger: Is that in any way believable to you? STEVE PANKEY ["Unfound" podcast]: In 1977, I was a youth pastor at the church. 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. Lowery will never forget the moment police told her that her son Trevor had died. The rake came, "right out of my garage," Jim Matthews told "48 Hours.". 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. But apparently Pankey knew. Richard Schlesinger: You'd be the last people to whom something like this would happen, I would think. Wells argued Al Dominguez, the district attorney of Weld County during that time, previously testified he never touched nor came across Jonelles case. Judy Tygard is the executive producer. 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. Anthony Viorst: Mr. Pankey likes to talk. The police and court records of what happened with the charges are no longer available. He said he has repeatedly told them that he wont speak without his attorney. He mentioned Jonelle in a speech about missing children. Afterwards she got a ride home with Deanna Ross and Deanna's father. Greeley Mayor and former police officer John Gates knew Steven Pankey, and says he was not considered a person of interest in the early days when Jonelle first disappeared. But his political ambitions grew, and he became a serial candidate. And I had a 5-year-old son. If Pankey didn't kill Jonelle Matthews, then who did? The case drew national attention. Greeley Mayor John Gates was on the witness list. The search, Pankey said, came about a month after he gave police a DNA sample. After piecing the paper together, she saw in his handwriting that, once again, he said the snow was raked over outside of Jonelles 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 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. 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. He gave the Statesman a copy of the search warrant, signed on Sept. 3 by Idaho Magistrate Judge Calvin Campbell. Prosecutors have announced they are ready for a new trial, because they still believe Jonelle was killed by Steven Pankey. Jim Matthews: I just kept telling him, I said, "Listen, I'm telling you the truth. After hiding her panic from Pankey as her mind flooded with his past odd behavior after Jonelle went missing, she decided to go to the Sun Valley police station. Who is he? Now under oath, Pankey said it was time to say truthfully that he was liar until now. She said a very emotional Pankey walked up As investigators struggled to find answers, they focused initially on Jonelle's father Jim Matthews. LOCAL NEWS REPORT: A major development to tell you about in a mystery that is more than three decades old. Kelly Werthmann: I mean, as a reporter, you start lookin' around tryin' to do some searching of who this person is. Barr claimed she believed that was in regards to her grandchildren. The next step in the investigation was gathering the evidence Olson collected to present to the the Weld District Attorneys Office. But Pankey used to say he was close friends with the pastor. 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. How did he seem to you? The presentation confirmed there was no probable cause to bring the case to prosecution due to a lack of evidence, Olson said. But denied he was obsessed with the news. During cross-examination, Wells argued there were no reports or recordings of this discussion, so the court has no way of knowing what was discussed between the two. Norris Drake died in 2007, but many thought Viorst's theory about him helped Pankey's case. Pankey was charged Monday morning with child abuse resulting in death and abuse of a corpse in the case. LOCAL NEWS REPORT: Jonelle Matthews will turn 13 in two weeks. Richard Schlesinger: I'm sorry, did you say an exorcism? Richard Schlesinger: And he was using, what, a garden rake? He was a person who sure was interested in the case. And as of now, nobody has been convicted of murdering Jonelle. Deputy District Attorney Lacy Wells asked Sakulenzki about multiple occasions in the past when she reported Pankey to law enforcement, which resulted in an objection from Viorst. Additionally, there was no mention of Drakes shoe size in Olsons writings, and he couldnt remember the shoe size from memory during his testimony. Barr testified she was told by an expert that the gun was un-fireable.. MAYOR JOHN GATES: I was sitting at my desk one day some time back. As a result, Steve Pankey was arrested and taken under custody. But the most talkative person in this case had yet to be heard from. Viorst tried asking Yost about Drakes attraction towards younger girls and comments he had made during their relationship. After the two-and-a-half hour interview, Drake indicated he would return back to discuss the case more, but he never did. Police won't directly confirm any of that. ANTHONY VIORST: Norris Drake murdered Jonelle Matthews. John Gates knows the evidence is circumstantial, but he believes it is as strong as it is strange. Here we have explained his remarkable political journey after serving his country and community as a responsible officer. It's a case that has haunted the small Colorado city of Greeley. And had a call from a journalist in Idaho. 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. "One lie leads to another.". Pankey says it was lies that led to him being charged with murder, but not his lies; his ex-wife Angela Hicks' lies fueled by her need for revenge. It was December 1984 when 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews vanished from her family's Greeley, Colorado home. The Statesman could not immediately verify that. He said he won all the trials. And Pankey himself took the stand. She said she has been around Pankey only a handful of times, the last time being the memorial service for Carl. Along with Mark, Barr was unaware of past gun use by Pankey, but said she gave him the old gun recently. 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." Jonelle Matthews' friends Darla Jentzsch and Deanna Ross remember growing up with Jonelle. All right? (Courtesy of Angela Hicks) he's a firm adherent to the Ten Commandments, which include thou shalt not kill. Anthony Viorst, Pankey's former attorney, says Pankey craves attention but is not a murderer. That was one of many lies, says Pankey, meant to target people he hated, like his father-in-law, and Mayor John Gates. 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. She reported seeing Drake sit in his vehicle for a while, as if he was staring at something. Yeah, he worked for my father. The best home improvement jobs deserve the best materials. That's when Jonelle went to sing in a school choir concert. DA ROBERT MILLER: He's not someone that has a mental health disorder, he's a master manipulator. However, the politician was not found guilty on any of the charges he was indicted on. And I think my jaw probably hit my desk, and I said, "What?". Pankeys youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student, was shot and killed by his girlfriend in 2008 in Phoenix. Her remains were discovered on July 24, 2019, and the trial for her murder began. Drake and Yost lived together from 1985-1987. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The day before the He does. Its the new home of High Plains Bank in Wiggins. And she later said it was nonconsensual. Prosecutors say only the Matthews family, investigators and presumably the killer knew about them. Viorst asked if Pankeys behavior changed once he became a suspect in the case. Though Mitch McConnell has revealed about backing Trump for the 2024 presidential election, he has not confirmed about his re-election in 2022. Steve Pankey went the other way after his youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student Kelly Werthmann: I think it's, it's her word against his. Steve Pankey allegedly killed a 14-year-old girl from Greeley, Colorado in 1984. And Viorst had more, based on testimony by a former girlfriend of Drake's. She further testified Viorst left her a voicemail saying she had to cooperate with him. When Viorst asked her if she felt he was threatening or rude in the more recent times the two have talked, Yost responded: Recently, youve been nicer.. Several reports say that he endured the death of his son but the details are unconfirmed. He testified that in the past he had lied about his knowledge of the case. That's when I started losing it. Pankey might have thought better about running in Twin Falls. Richard Schlesinger: Did it occur to you that maybe she had run away? Chelsea Narvaez is the associate producer. 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. Steven Dana Pankey took Jonelle Matthews from her family home, 320 43rd Avenue Court, without her consent and against her will on December 20, 1984 between Miller confronted Barr about her statements of loving her brother and believing he didnt commit murder through questioning their closeness. 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. Steven Pankey, 69, was born in California to Dana Pankey Jr. and his wife, Ruth. And he said, no, not to his knowledge. However, no DNA evidence was extracted from it, making the evidence against Pankey circumstantial. Daviet testified Drake went to his mothers house the next day, but he was discussing Jonelles disappearance before that with the Daviet siblings. And that's why Gates became a prosecution witness. BOISE, Idaho Former Idaho gubernatorial candidate Steve Pankey is again claiming he's innocent. In 2020, Steven Pankey, who says he never met Jonelle, was charged with murder after repeatedly making public statements that inserted him into the case, including drawing up a list of persons of interest with his own name on it. She just loves the whole festivities of Christmas. Kelly Werthmann interviewed Pankey for CBSDenver over FaceTime. but he took her he shot her. During her testimony last week, she stated her and Jonelle allegedly saw an orange-red car that agitated and startled her 12-year-old friend. Pankey was arrested for the kidnapping and murder of Jonelle in Oct. 2020. Viorst asked if Pankeys behavior changed. Or was he one that just surrounded himself with strange, bizarre behavior for years? There was one occasion where he made comments about how attractive younger girls were at the pool. Viorst believed it was possible for Drake to have left directly after the show ended to commit the crimes against Jonelle. "[T]here's no indication that he committed this murder, no indication that he had anything to do with burying the body. ANTHONY VIORST: Mr. Pankey, I'm gonna ask you to answer my questions a little more directly if you don't mind. KELLY WERTHMANN: Did you kill Jonelle Matthews? It was updated on August 6.]. First published on March 27, 2021 / 11:03 PM. Mayor John Gates: I had met him in about the mid-1970s. Once her remains were identified, the police department issued a news release saying that the case was now a homicide investigation. In the matter of the burning car, Pankey allegedly told Hicks he knew the car was going to catch on fire, so he moved it to the back property. DA ROBERT MILLER: How long were you driving as you flipped stations looking for news stories about Jonelle Matthews? Around that same time, Steven Pankey, his young son and his wife, who was pregnant with their second son, also left Greeley. I had no knowledge," Pankey said. The first trial ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous And two days later they were back. Sakulenzki remembers asking who he was talking about when he made the statement. The comments made him suspicious given Jonelles disappearance, he said, so he reported them to the FBI rather than to local police. Pankey said he left Greeley in 1987 and hasnt been back to Colorado since. That was about 8 p.m. Deanna Ross: Jonelle needed a ride home so she hopped in our truck and we took her home. 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. Anthony Viorst: There was a sexual encounter. 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. 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. As the trial proceeded, Viorst questioned Hicks about the amount of cars the family had over the years, as well as how many guns Pankey had in his possession. So, the defense clearly has to prove, yes, he's an admitted liar but he's not lying now. In a four-hour episode of the "Unfound" podcast recorded in November 2019, Pankey claims he was dating his accuser. Fred Smith knows real estate. I agree with you that it's weird It just makes zero sense. Police might have been closer to an answer than they knew. The best home improvement jobs deserve the best materials. I had no knowledge. He said he moved to Greeley in 1973. 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. I remember being afraid. In 2008, he thought about running in Twin Falls, where he went to church with Ryan Horsley, a political consultant. Russel Ross and Pastor James Christys names surfaced during the formation of Pankeys file. 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. Hicks also told Viorst she had phone troubles due to changes in 5G coverage in her area, and texts might not have gone through. When Drake woke up the next day, he came upstairs and asked if the Daviets had heard about Jonelles disappearance. 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. In 1977, when he was 26, he was accused of what he called date rape by a 23-year-old woman he was seeing. The boys body was discovered in a storage unit in the 5000 block of E. The media interviews Pankey did in 2019 was another aspect Barr named when addressing his behavior. Jim Matthews: Hopefully we will know the scenario of what happened that night. Barr explained what Pankey was like as a kid, claiming her brother had problems, including: Barr admitted to paying for Pankeys bills and seeing a subscription to broadcasts about cold case murders, which Viorst has used as an argument to defend Pankeys obsession in the Jonelle case as part of a larger true crime obsession. Pankey said he also has volunteered to take a polygraph test. five days before Christmas, Jonelle disappeared from her home. "48 Hours" tried to get our own interview with Pankey. Doreen Schechter is the producer-editor. That, of course, doesn't exist. Anthony Viorst: I don't like to divulge my defense, you know, on national television but I don't think it's going to be any surprise when I tell you that they've got no motive whatsoever for this crime there's absolutely no indication Mr. Pankey knew this girl knew where she lived had any desire to kill her. He had abducted her on Dec 20th, 1984 from her home after she came home from a Christmas concert. But just five days before Christmas, Greeley learned it could not hide from evil. Anthony Viorst: There's no physical evidence whatsoever to connect Mr. Pankey to this crime. Ryan N. Smith is a development producer. 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. ANTHONY VIORST: Norris Drake, Ladies and gentlemen, knew that the footprints were raked. 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. But he didn't give up the information. Gloria Matthews: We are going to know that she was murdered [crying]. "And one of the things notated in his handwriting on this piece of legal paper was snow outside the Matthews house was raked," she told jurors.

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