TWIN FALLS - A former candidate for Idaho governor says he is under investigation in the cold-case killing of a 12-year-old girl in Colorado 35 years ago, the Idaho Statesman reported Friday. Pankey was indicted in October 2020 by a grand jury on first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in connection with the 1984 killing of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews in Greeley. In September 2019, police obtained a warrant to search Pankeys Twin Falls, Idaho home. We are purposely breaking this one into three parts, the first will cover the crime, the second covers the background of the alleged perpetrator up through his time living in Greeley, Co. [13] She also said that after their return, Pankey forced her to read to him newspaper articles concerning the case. Pankey and his former wife lived about three miles from the Matthews home and he had been a youth pastor at the church the Matthews family attended. 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. Critics say theyll make bias worse. The Greeley Tribune contributed to this report. Its the new home of High Plains Bank in Wiggins. The rake came, "right out of my garage," Jim Matthews told "48 Hours.". Before Jonelles disappearance, there were a few allegations against Pankey, namely teenage students who claimed that he maced them and a woman who accused him of rape. On December 20, 1984, Jonelle Matthews vanished from Greeley, Colorado, into thin air. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Jury finds Steve Pankey guilty of 1984 kidnapping, murder of Jonelle Matthews, Second trial begins for man accused of 1984 kidnapping, murder of Jonelle Matthews, Mistrial declared after jury fails to reach verdict on murder, kidnapping charges in Jonelle Matthews case, Killer or true crime junkie? the heart becomes full Hicks believes this information would have helped explain to the jury where she was coming from, including what her life was like with Pankey, how she came to the decision to go to law enforcement and why that was risky for her to do. I had no knowledge.". Pankey was found guilty in the murder of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews in Greeley in 1984. Although Pankey never directly knew the Matthews family, his fixation on the church only showed his intent and motive behind the alleged crimes because he was bitter after they excommunicated him, according to prosecutors. During both visits to Greeley for her testimony, Hicks visited Jonelles grave and left a pink rose with a purple ribbon for her. In October 2021, a year after former Idaho gubernatorial candidate Steven Pankey was arrested for the kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews, he went to trial. Pankeys interest continued when they arrived back in Greeley, Hicks said. 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. In 1984, a 12-year-old girl named Jonelle Matthews went missing in Greeley, Colo. After McDonald decided to break things off with Pankey, an incident occurred between the two of them that led to the arrest of Pankey. After almost 38 years, the mystery of what happened to Jonelle Matthews on Dec. 20, 1984 has been put to rest. The Dow Jones fell 508 points to 1,738.74 (22.61%). He was first held without bail at the Ada County Jail in Boise, Idaho before he was extradited to Colorado for court proceedings. The jury found him guilty on making false reports to authorities, but they were deadlocked on the other kidnapping and murder counts. While Sakulenzkia doesnt recall the exact words Pankey said, she indicated it took her by surprise and she began asking about the remarks made. The first trial ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on three of the. He was charged with first-degree murder in 2020, following the discovery of Jonelle's body. Just over a year after Jonelle's remains were found a Weld County grand jury indicted Pankey in her kidnapping and murder. They are currently retired and living in Costa Rica. Its the new home of High Plains Bank in Wiggins. Pankeys lies about her father were unforgivable to Hicks because Pankey had already taken away her relationship with her father and removed him from her support system back in the early years of their marriage. Shortly after the rape charges, Pankey claimed that he was given disturbing information about members of the Sunny View Church of The Nazarene, where he himself was a member. I guess I am a simple person in that regard.. Kiszla: One-hit wonders? She was also unaware of the functions of the car, including if it was driveable, according to her testimony. [2] In 1994, Jonelle was declared legally dead. A status hearing was set for 1:30 p.m. May 3. A jury found Steve Pankey, 71, guilty Monday morning of false reporting, first-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping. It's official: Jamal Murray, Nuggets are in Phoenix's heads now. Pankey had been excommunicated from the church prior to their arrival for an incident that occurred between him and another member. 2:55. Steve Pankey, who twice ran for governor of Idaho, is charged in the 1984 kidnapping and murder of Jonelle Matthews. A few days later, Hicks testified that she went to the Sun Valley Police Department wanting to confirm or deny if her husband did come into the department saying he had information about Jonelle. Critics say theyll make bias worse. The best home improvement jobs deserve the best materials. On November 2, 2021, jurors got the case. But theres still that element of this is the father of my children.. Two days later they had reached a verdict. He has lived in the Aurora/Southeast Denver Metro area since 1965 and is an expert Getting ready for a yard project? There he found an interest: politics. The indictment also mentions that Pankey knew of and discussed a rake used to obliterate foot impressions in the snow at the Matthews home, which law enforcement withheld from the public. Even still, Dateline NBC is diving into what exactly happened to Matthews and how Pankey is connected to her disappearance. In July 2019, oil workers found Jonelles remains with one gunshot wound to the head buried in unincorporated Weld County. Steve Pankey allegedly killed a 14-year-old girl from Greeley, Colorado in 1984. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Jonelle was adopted in March 1972 by James "Jim" and Gloria Matthews, a married couple with a daughter, living in Greeley, Colorado. (Staff/Morgan. Yet everything changed in July 2019 when excavators installing a pipeline about 15 miles southwest of Jonelles home discovered human remains. [16] She appears in the International Center for Unidentified and Missing Persons' database. The criminal indictment said that he "intentionally inserted himself in the investigation many times over the years claiming to have knowledge of the crime which grew inconsistent and incriminating over time". Pankey further explained that Sun Valley, a city in Idaho, was persecuting him because he wouldnt give them the information they wanted about the Jonelle case unless he received immunity first. Her memory of it was the same every time, frankly, Miller said. Pankey maintains that hes innocent in the kidnapping and murder of Matthews, but a 2021 jury found otherwise. Help paint a picture of Carl so that he is always remembered. [27] He received a sentence of 20 years to life in prison. Their father began to worry and called police. Despite decades of ongoing police work and public interest, Jonelle's case remained cold. At the time of her disappearance, Jonelle's father was the principal of Platte Valley Elementary School in Kersey, Colorado.[6]. Court sets May 2022 status hearing for Steve, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Court sets May 2022 status hearing for Steve Pankey case, Weld DA announces community relations director position opening, seeks qualified candidate, Weld County could get hit with a legal challenge for not complying with a 2021 redistricting law, Florida was the most prized swing state for decades. He says Norris Drake, whose mother lived across the street from Jonelle, is the killer. 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. Pankeys lawyers said his behavior may have seemed unusual but they argued police did not secure hard evidence against him and failed to clear an alternate suspect who died in 2007. Despite the mistrial, she felt both sets of jurors did their best and were attentive. Within about two weeks, Hicks received two or three of these files, she said. Jonelle was just 12-years-old when she went missing the night of December 20, 1984. mesurer votre utilisation de nos sites et applications. She wasnt surprised by the results of last years trial and was relieved Pankey remained in jail. On Dec. 20, 1984, according to a grand jury indictment, Mr. Pankey, armed with a gun, took Jonelle from her family's home and killed her during the course of the kidnapping. A status hearing was set for 1:30 p.m. May 3. The former neighbor of the Matthews family/ex-gubernatorial candidate has since been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, meaning he could presumably go free one day. Hicks noted they sat in silence for the whole ride there and back, but about halfway home to Greeley, Pankey asked for her to find a radio station. In 1994, Matthews was legally declared dead even though the police knew very little at the time. Public Defender John Walsh noted its exceedingly likely Pankey will reenter a plea of not guilty. Nous, Yahoo, faisons partie de la famille de marques Yahoo. Beginning in Hong Kong then spreading to Europe, the crash then hit the United States. Steven Dana . The Matthews friends from church, Russ Ross and his daughter, dropped Jonelle off around 8:15 p.m. and left with an indication that she was safe and sound inside the home. Pankey's defense offered a different theory. JACKSON, Miss. Invite family and friends to share what they know about Carl Wesley Pankey. With snow on the ground, Jonelle's father thought it unlikely that she would go far without shoes. [4] Steven Pankey was sentenced to life imprisonment on October 31, 2022, after his arrest in 2020. Prior to this, Pankey had constant problems with law enforcement, Hicks said, and he was suing people left and right.

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