That was about 8 p.m. Deanna Ross: Jonelle needed a ride home so she hopped in our truck and we took her home. Viorst tried to contact Hicks several times by phone call and text message, including leaving voicemails, according to Viorst. She loves presents. Kelly Werthmann: There were no signs of a struggle inside the Matthews home he could've been someone that Jonelle had either seen before She might've willingly opened the door, let him in; might've willingly gone with him if he had said "something happened to your family, come with me.". DA ROBERT MILLER: How long were you driving as you flipped stations looking for news stories about Jonelle Matthews? 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. In September 2019, just weeks after discovering the remains of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews, the case that had been so cold for so long quickly heated up. 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. Police stopped investigating him when his mother told them Drake was still with her in her house at the time Jonelle is believed to have disappeared. DA Michael Rourke: He wasn't a person of interest. She recalled Pankey had a change of heart about Christy after Pankey was asked to leave the church. Pankey was a secretive man during their marriage, Hicks said. By February 3, 2021, Pankey pleaded not guilty to those crimes. Richard Schlesinger: What do you think happened to your sister? 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. Pankey is a person of interest in a cold case homicide out of How did he seem to you? The other counts were were far more complex than that, in my opinion. STEVEN PANKEY: So, the truth is that I made a lot of stuff up out of bitterness. Richard Schlesinger: Would you let us talk to your client? 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. As a child, Mark recalled his father never owning, talking about or shooting guns. 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. The 71-year-old was a person of interest in the case over the course of three decades. 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. Anthony Viorst: That is arguably the one piece of evidence that arguably ties Mr. Pankey to the crime. Viorst will bring in new witnesses Thursday. Greeley's Mayor John Gates was 27 years old at the time, and a police officer. However, Olson said he called and left a voicemail after obtaining the first letter. Chelsea Narvaez is the associate producer. STEVE PANKEY ["Unfound" podcast]: In 1977, I was a youth pastor at the church. And he said, no, not to his knowledge. Jim Matthews: Definitely. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: We went to California to be with my parents for Christmas. Sakulenzki was the last to testify Tuesday. Police even reported Pankey offered the same deal to other law enforcement agencies. Daviet testified Drake went to his mothers house the next day, but he was discussing Jonelles disappearance before that with the Daviet siblings. His son was friends with Pankey's son, Mark. Reward offered as manhunt for Texas shooting suspect reaches "dead end", Louisiana's health care deserts put women, babies at risk, doctors say, How a tall Texan became an unlikely Australian rules football star, Second convoy of U.S. citizens fleeing Khartoum arrives at Port Sudan, ISIS chief killed by Turkey's intelligence agency, Erdogan says, General Mills issues Gold Medal flour recall over salmonella concerns, Investors sue Adidas over Kanye West Yeezy deal, Tornado flips cars, downs trees after touching down in South Florida, Shaquil Barrett's 2-year-old daughter dies in drowning accident. Hicks told Viorst she never had any suspicions of Pankey having a sexual interest in anyone other than adults. It was agony for Jonelle's mother Gloria, who could no longer hope her daughter would come home. White are the field producers. In a matter of three days, on October 12, 2020, police arrested Pankey for kidnapping and first-degree murder in Jonelle's case. Andersen said he remembers the car being reddish, but he could not swear to this statement either. Richard Schlesinger: Did it occur to you that maybe she had run away? It was Steven Pankey who started talking to just about anyone who would listen, including CBS affiliate KMVT. Daviet further testified that Norris told her about a scenario he thought might have happened to Jonelle. Pankey said he had gone to church with many people who knew Jonelle Matthews family, but he did not. And on October 13, 2021, a jury was seated and ready to hear the case. Steve Pankey and Angela Hicks' son, Carl, was murdered in 2008. The only evidence left behind were shoeprints in the snow shoeprints someone tried to erase with a garden rake. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: They searched this place, they took my laptop . So, the defense clearly has to prove, yes, he's an admitted liar but he's not lying now. She found his behavior strange because he never addressed her question, according to Sakulenzki. that told me that I'd been named as a person of interest in this case by Mr. Pankey. Rochelle Davy, formerly known as Rochelle Baxley, was with Jonelle Matthews on the bus the night she disappeared. Pankey might have thought better about running in Twin Falls. So, I might be a little more cynical than the average person. He had abducted her on Dec 20th, 1984 from her home after she came home from a Christmas concert. But the most talkative person in this case had yet to be heard from. 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. Jonelle's father Jim says the fast-breaking news about Pankey surprised him. John Gates knows the evidence is circumstantial, but he believes it is as strong as it is strange. Olsons suspicions arose because this information was referred to as hold-back evidence or controlled evidence, meaning investigators decided not to release it to the media or public as a way to narrow down suspects. Steve Pankey doesn't have a Wikipedia bio, however, he has made several stints in US politics. Also, he was a candidate for a county sheriff in Twin Falls which, once again, wasn't a success story for him. Jim Matthews takes the stand in the trial of the man accused of the kidnapping and murder of his 12-year-old daughter Jonelle. And I was an elementary principal. The woman eventually asked that the case be dismissed. Pankey refuted his ex-wife's claim that their trip to California two mornings after Jonelle disappeared was sudden insisting it had long been planned. Gloria was working at a restaurant. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Several reports say that he endured the death of his son but the details are unconfirmed. As per reports, the 14-year-old was kidnapped and reportedly killed somewhere in Greeley, Colorado. Pankey denies he ever did that, but Kevin says Pankey's son Mark was so unhappy living at home that the Schneiders took him in for about six years. The boys body was discovered in a storage unit in the 5000 block of E. Gloria Matthews: We are going to know that she was murdered [crying]. Produced by Judy Rybak. At trial, Viorst told the jury that Pankey was a true-crime junkie. Additionally, she contacted friends with the Englewood police about the case a few weeks after her disappearance. JUDGE TIMOTHY KERNS: Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict on count number four? He doesnt talk much about his mother, but generally gives the impression that he was raised in a very religious family. 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. The former Colorado man ran for governor in Idaho three times, losing in the primary elections. The rake came, "right out of my garage," Jim Matthews told "48 Hours.". Though Jonelle was reported missing in 1984, it wasnt until July 23 of this year that her body was found, according to Greeley police. Hicks said Pankey, over the years, would bring up Jonelle or react strangely when others did. 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. Jonelle Matthews was laid to rest nearly 35 years after her disappearance. Viorst claims that he is Jonelle's killer. Pankey said he had a bad relationship with Greeley authorities afterward. And I think my jaw probably hit my desk, and I said, "What?". Richard Schlesinger: Do you believe that he was a threat to children in that church? His girlfriend severely killed him in 2008 in Phoenix. Along with Mark, Barr was unaware of past gun use by Pankey, but said she gave him the old gun recently. As investigators struggled to find answers, they focused initially on Jonelle's father Jim Matthews. 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. Ryan Horsley: I think that was his last-ditch effort, honestly. Anthony Viorst: There was a sexual encounter. Fred Smith knows real estate. 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 two days later they were back. Richard Schlesinger: Is that in any way believable to you? Though Mitch McConnell has revealed about backing Trump for the 2024 presidential election, he has not confirmed about his re-election in 2022. Like his father, Pankey also believed in these viewpoints, according to Hicks. WebHes currently being indicted for the murder of a 12 year old girl in Greeley, CO. The presentation confirmed there was no probable cause to bring the case to prosecution due to a lack of evidence, Olson said. His sister believed he shouldnt be partaking in the interviews, and his involvement in this case physically bothers her, she said. Mayor John Gates: I had met him in about the mid-1970s. They made headlines. And yet he picks up the phone. August 6, 2022 / 10:03 PM 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. Although, later in life, Pankey started collecting guns, including an older gun given to him by his sister, Teri Barr. He gave the Statesman a copy of the search warrant, signed on Sept. 3 by Idaho Magistrate Judge Calvin Campbell. In 1977, when he was 26, he was accused of what he called date rape by a 23-year-old woman he was seeing. 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.. Count four: making false reports to authorities. Anthony Viorst: So, here's what I'll say It's our position that it was divulged by law enforcement. On July 4, 2008, the couples youngest son, Carl, was murdered at age 20, and their family came together to celebrate his life with a memorial service. Pankey told the Statesman he was sure that after police had his DNA, they would stop investigating him. 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. Viorst and Hicks discussed Pankeys anti-establishment views, believing law enforcement was actively out to get him and having occasional run-ins with the police. The trial took place but the verdict came in the favor of the politician. 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. He lost, but Pankey still wanted to be sheriff somewhere. Anthony Viorst: It's not a good way. In response, Mark testified his father did not change and their relationship remained the same. Anthony Viorst, Pankey's former attorney, says Pankey craves attention but is not a murderer. Steve Pankey allegedly killed a 14-year-old girl from Greeley, Colorado in 1984. He just does, for whatever reason. Authorities searched a home in Twin Falls, Idaho. Kelly Werthmann interviewed Pankey for CBSDenver over FaceTime. The grand jury did find him guilty of false reporting. In fact, the day before Jonelle disappeared, Pankey was arrested at a bank for harassment and criminal trespass. Unfortunately, we are not able to find out his current whereabouts. Judge Timothy Kerns sustained the objections, denying most of Viorsts questions. 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. The Statesman could not immediately verify that. 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. Hicks remembered seeing Pankey with a gun three times throughout their relationship: when he worked as a security guard at the job where the two first met, when he did target practice outside their home and when she pawned his gun in 1979. ANGELA HICKS: "No more music, no TV, no radio, no newspapers. Hicks says on their way back to Greeley, Pankey insisted she turn on the radio. For the family of Jonelle Matthews, the news was so devastating they didn't want to discuss it. He maintains the sex was consensual. I offered to take a polygraph. He was the janitor. Richard Schlesinger: He wanted to run against a fellow church member? The objections resulted in several sidebars, one about a possible conversation Daviet had with Drake and another conversation she had with Englewood police. By 2002, the divorce was finalized. In 2008, he ran for sheriff in Shoshone once again. 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. Jim Matthews: Whoever did it, tried to rake their footprints. The media interviews Pankey did in 2019 was another aspect Barr named when addressing his behavior. In all, Pankey attempted seven runs for office. ANTHONY VIORST: He lives in a world of conspiracy, paranoia and low self-esteem. The ex-wife of Steve Pankey, the man accused of killing 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews in 1984, testified in his murder trial Monday and Tuesday. Upon reviewing the full case, Olson testified to finding a supplement containing an account from Francis Drake, Norris Drakes mother. yes, I remember meeting him. 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. Steve Packey is currently awaiting trial for her murder. I never met Jonelle, I never met her family, I didnt know she existed or disappeared until Wednesday, Dec. 26 (1984), Pankey said. Mayor John Gates: I think that part might've fit into the no-brainer category. The case drew national attention. During the process of forming a file, Hicks was asked to write comments on newspaper stories and give them to the department. Despite 9:30 p.m. being the time Jonelles father arrived home to discover his daughter missing, Viorst indicated Drake could have left earlier than his mother reported. And Pankey himself took the stand. 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. Carter and Pankey will begin at Stephens on Sept. 1. During her testimony, she said she only saw pornography on his computer one time, and only saw women. 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. Deanna Ross: That I'd see her the next day, at school. My dad waited until he saw her flick on the light. Zero physical evidence, OK? Richard Schlesinger: Oh, to cover them up. Her murder went unsolved for 35 years until they found her body in 2019. 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 JUDGE TIMOTHY KERNS: We the jury find the defendant Steven Dana Pankey guilty. A construction crew found remains while excavating in rural Weld County, which includes Greeley, for a pipeline. But he said he met with an FBI agent at the Greeley police station shortly after he returned, because he heard from his father-in-law, who worked for a cemetery, that someone had asked about getting rid of a body. Ryan Horsley: I was kind of confused because our local sheriff actually went to our church. Pankeys youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student, was shot and killed by his girlfriend in 2008 in Phoenix. ANGELA HICKS: He said, "get us ready to go. Jonelle became one of the first missing children whose photo appeared on milk cartons across America. But Angela Hicks says that day, her ex-husband was obsessed making her flip the dial in search of news about Jonelle's disappearance. Oct. 18When Steve Pankey's son was murdered in 2008, his ex-wife heard him say in front of the urn, "I hope God didn't allow this to happen because of Jonelle Matthews." Angela Hicks, Pankey's former spouse, took the stand for her second day of testimony Monday morning. Once back in Greeley, she says Pankey drove right past their house, straight to the grocery store, where he made her buy the local papers and search for news about Jonelle. Don't accuse me . 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. Due to his business buying used cars and parts to sell to customers, Pankey would be in possession of several different cars. Prosecutors say only the Matthews family, investigators and presumably the killer knew about them. 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. Anthony Viorst: That's the kind of thing that's happened to Mr. Pankey over the years. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: Don't spit in my face. (Courtesy of Angela 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. Pankey said he left Greeley in 1987 and hasnt been back to Colorado since. But Pankey used to say he was close friends with the pastor. 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. and we submit that he never knew where the body was because he didn't do this. Steve Pankey went the other way after his youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student Anthony Viorst: Well, here's what I'll say, Richard. The judge declared a mistrial. 48 Hours: Steve Pankey was arrested for the 1984 murder of Jonelle Mathews. 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. 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. In 2018, Pankey made a second attempt at becoming governor and to no one's surprise, he lost. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. After hearing testimony from multiple witnesses, Steven Pankey took the stand. Since Mark was freshly 5 years old during 1984, Assistant District Attorney Robb Miller questioned if his memories were reliable. Jim Matthews: For the longest time I knew exactly what they were doing, and I respected it. I believe in him, Barr said just before stating she doesnt think her brother is guilty of Jonelles murder. Jonelles case dates back to Dec. 20, 1984, when the young girl attended a school choir concert, received a ride home from her friends father and returned to an unoccupied home. An attorney in North Carolina said if she didnt show up for the Pankey trial as a witness, she would go to jail. First Lady Lindsey Graham #TheView pic.twitter.com/qBNs4GjqEI. The bucket of bizarre means a lot to me. He even agreed to a lie detector test, with an FBI agent. In 1989, they settled in Idaho, but Pankey admits he could not stop thinking about Jonelle. STEVEN PANKEY: That's the first time I heard that there was a missing child. According to attorney Anthony Viorst, the person who killed Jonelle was someone she knew. The best home improvement jobs deserve the best materials. Anthony Viorst: There's no physical evidence whatsoever to connect Mr. Pankey to this crime. Steve Pankey was once a candidate for governor of Idaho. He faces two first-degree murder charges, two violent crime charges, and one second-degree kidnapping charge. Thats why its so important to That great looking new building in Wiggins? 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. in my dreams she always came home. The police and court records of what happened with the charges are no longer available. "48 Hours" interviewed Pankey's attorney Anthony Viorst as he was preparing for trial. But in reality, there was no sign of Jonelle. That's when I started losing it. When Drake woke up the next day, he came upstairs and asked if the Daviets had heard about Jonelles disappearance. Sakulenzki remembers asking who he was talking about when he made the statement. Pankey was home with his family when Jonelle went missing, Viorst said, and he did not own a gun at the time. WebPankey, 71, is on trial for the 1984 kidnapping and murder of Jonelle Matthews. After being charged, he left the position. Viorst questioned how Drake knew about Jonelles disappearance that morning, with it being unlikely he contacted his mother after leaving her house that night or before coming upstairs the following morning. 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. A recorded video was conducted during the Nov. 19, 1989 interview of Drake, and fragments of the video were played Wednesday morning. Pankey was even unaware of the gender and names of her children, according to a statement he made in January 2021, Miller said. it just seemed really weird that he didn't have a grievance against our local sheriff And so just seemed like he was just running just to run. "[T]here's no indication that he committed this murder, no indication that he had anything to do with burying the body. She says that shocked her because Pankey had forbidden radio and television use in their house, about a year earlier. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Showbiz Corner Pankey's defense offered a different theory. Hicks also stated in her testimony that Pankey banned radio, TV and news from their household around the time Jonelle went missing. Jim Matthews: You have to go on with life. He was described as immature, hung out with a younger crowd and focused on partying. In the interview played in court, Olson was the first one to bring up the shoe prints. On the night Jonelle went missing, Pankey said, he was home with his then-wife. STEVEN PANKEY: It was just me trying to be a big man, be in the case, OK? Mark said he spent time with his dad at least once per week before his arrest in 2020. She responded he had visions of grandeur, and it ran in their family. Pankey told KMVT that he shared the information with the FBI, because he feared that somehow someone might be trying to implicate him in Jonelle's murder. Richard Schlesinger: What were the challenges facing the prosecution? Kelly Werthmann: I mean, as a reporter, you start lookin' around tryin' to do some searching of who this person is. It may or may not have something to do with the Jonelle Matthews case.". Like that story he once told law enforcement about his father-in-law. The only physical evidence were those footprints in the fresh snow. And he calls Detective Jack Stotler and he identifies himself as a ordained Baptist minister. Ken Blum and Jud Johnston are the editors. 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. BOISE, Idaho Former Idaho gubernatorial candidate Steve Pankey is again claiming he's innocent. If that's the theory of the defense, did Pankey's time on the stand help him or hurt him? Additionally, there was no mention of Drakes shoe size in Olsons writings, and he couldnt remember the shoe size from memory during his testimony. Mayor John Gates: I remember that night like it was yesterday. "And you always knew Jonelle was around [laughs]. Richard Schlesinger: You'd be the last people to whom something like this would happen, I would think. I agree with you that it's weird It just makes zero sense. Her remains were discovered on July 24, 2019, and the trial for her One time, I guess their family dog was doing a lot of barking, and it was irritating Steven. Claire St. Amant is the development producer. He agreed they were listening to the radio on their way back to Greeley.
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