The judge declared a mistrial. PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN [March 7, 1985]: I learned about Jonelle Matthews of Greeley, Colorado. In 2008, he thought about running in Twin Falls, where he went to church with Ryan Horsley, a political consultant. That was our sign that she made it inside and everything's fine. 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. Jim was eventually cleared, leaving no suspects or leads. And I had a 5-year-old son. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Jim Matthews: Hopefully we will know the scenario of what happened that night. But Pankey has never been a man with clear answers. Then they had another one with the local police. Mayor John Gates: The most strong evidence to me is the way Mr. Pankey conducted himself from the time this happened up until his indictment. And then on July 23, 2019, nearly 35 years after Jonelle's disappearance, police finally had that breaking news to share. 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. 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. Hicks says on their way back to Greeley, Pankey insisted she turn on the radio. The only evidence left behind were shoeprints in the snow shoeprints someone tried to erase with a garden rake. When Drake woke up the next day, he came upstairs and asked if the Daviets had heard about Jonelles disappearance. Viorst will bring in new witnesses Thursday. The 71-year-old was a person of interest in the case over the course of three decades. I'm telling you everything I know." Ryan Horsley says that's when Pankey started collecting guns. He told Yost that virgins have firm breasts, and she said he wrote a song about this topic. We were very involved in our church. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I contacted the Fort Collins FBI office. Mark said he spent time with his dad at least once per week before his arrest in 2020. 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, The Statesman reached out to the Greeley Police Department for comment on Thursday and did not receive an immediate response. 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. Their son, Carl, was murdered in Phoenix in 2008. The spacious, modern Steve Pankey trial Day 11: Two of Pankeys, 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), Steve Pankey trial Day 11: Two of Pankeys family members testify; alternate suspect evidence revealed, Greeley police shoot, kill armed 24-year-old man Saturday, A bill that would increase pay transparency for Colorados gig drivers is teetering, Denvers affordable housing shortfall a misery shared in cities across the Western Hemisphere, Colorados child care gaps laid bare by pandemic with never-ending wait lists, exorbitant costs, Brought to you by Prairie Mountain Publishing, Windsor announces lineup for Movies in the Park and Summer Concert Series, Weld RE-1 School District principal named best of the year at middle school level, Greeley Stampede set to kick up the dust with additional free concert, Andrew Cogliano out for Game 7 with fractured neck after Jordan Eberles hit leaves Avalanche miffed at lack of suspension, Greeley's annual clean-up weekend April 28-29, Weld and Larimer counties retail food inspection reports, 'We're doing it for these families': Greeley-Weld Habitat for Humanity celebrates double home dedication, Greeley, Weld County Death Notices for April 21, 2023, 'A labor of love': Anderson committed to Northern Colorado baseball rebuild, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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. Mayor John Gates: My assignment that night was going around the neighborhood, knocking on doors asking them if they had seen or heard anything suspicious that evening. In a matter of three days, on October 12, 2020, police arrested Pankey for kidnapping and first-degree murder in Jonelle's case. And she could not go on with hers. 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. In her testimony, Hicks said she was unsure if the car functioned. Daviet testified Drake went to his mothers house the next day, but he was discussing Jonelles disappearance before that with the Daviet siblings. "It began as a series of lies, and it got bigger and bigger over the years," Pankey told the jury. Pankey told the Statesman on Thursday that he was shocked when police searched his home. He doesnt talk much about his mother, but generally gives the impression that he was raised in a very religious family. "One lie leads to another.". Jim Matthews: I just kept telling him, I said, "Listen, I'm telling you the truth. More than three decades later, in 2019, Jonelle's body was found by a crew digging a pipeline. In another jaw-dropping move, in that same letter Pankey also named himself as a person of interest, while still insisting he's innocent. On those other counts, the actual murder charges, the jury deadlocked and could not come to a unanimous verdict. The woman eventually asked that the case be dismissed. ANGELA HICKS: He wanted me to read each article out loud to him. Olson said they found no criminatory evidence.. Hicks said she found torn-up paper about Jonelle in the trash can. The next step in the investigation was gathering the evidence Olson collected to present to the the Weld District Attorneys Office. According to his own website, his father was a Youth For Christ Leader. JUDGE TIMOTHY KERNS: Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict on count number four? But his political ambitions grew, and he became a serial candidate. Jonelle's father Jim says the fast-breaking news about Pankey surprised him. Her whereabouts remained a mystery for more than 35 years until her remains were discovered in 2019. STEVEN PANKEY A month, three weeks, two months, I don't know, before December. Norris Drake. Richard Schlesinger: Pankey's defense lawyer told me that he thought his client might be mentally ill. Hicks remembers Pankey saying, Do you really think I would hurt her when she looked so much like you?. The other counts were were far more complex than that, in my opinion. And she later said it was nonconsensual. I said "I want to talk to you. When police arrived, Lowery was still upstairs on the phone with 911. Hicks talked to officers about her husbands behavior and actions after Jonelle went missing, including the fact that he was aware of evidence from the crime scene that was not public knowledge. All right? And one of the times he ran for governor was a real dumpster fire. 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. And even President Ronald Reagan got involved. 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. In 1989, they settled in Idaho, but Pankey admits he could not stop thinking about Jonelle. 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. Greeley Mayor John Gates was on the witness list. In a matter of days, the search was all over the news, but not because police were talking. 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. 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. Pankey says the morning after Jonelle disappeared, he and his family left Greeley for five days. Pankey was found guilty in the murder of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews in Greeley in 1984. A No one had seen or heard anything, and the Matthews home, which was now a crime scene, offered few clues. Ryan Horsley: To halt any investigation, to halt him getting arrested. Anthony Viorst: Mr. Pankey likes to talk. And then I'd say other things and he'd say, "well, that's bull nobody's going to buy that.". On the night Jonelle went missing, Pankey said, he was home with his then-wife. He maintains the sex was consensual. Anthony Viorst says his client has an alibi. WebHes currently being indicted for the murder of a 12 year old girl in Greeley, CO. 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. He says Norris Drake, whose mother lived across the street from Jonelle, is the killer. 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. Who is he? The strategy of the defense Wednesday in the trial of Steve Pankey, the 70-year-old man accused of kidnapping and murdering 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews in 1984, focused on introducing evidence regarding an alternate suspect in the case. 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. and we submit that he never knew where the body was because he didn't do this. His father was a Youth for Christ leader, and Pankey claimedthat he came from a family with a long history of Drake and Yost lived together from 1985-1987. Richard Schlesinger: Oh, to cover them up. At trial, Viorst told the jury that Pankey was a true-crime junkie. ANTHONY VIORST: Norris Drake murdered Jonelle Matthews. Politician Lord Frost is one of the most prominent figures in the English government. Richard Schlesinger: The problem is there's no physical evidence. 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. Jim Matthews: We had never heard the name Steve Pankey. But the most talkative person in this case had yet to be heard from. Pankeys youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student, was shot and killed by his girlfriend in 2008 in Phoenix. / CBS News, [This story previously aired on January 8, 2022. Isn't it? The case drew national attention. 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. "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. That was one of many lies, says Pankey, meant to target people he hated, like his father-in-law, and Mayor John Gates. Pankey became a suspect in Jonelles murder the same year her remains were discovered, after Greeley police investigators took steps to modernize the case. 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 Michael Rourke: He wasn't a person of interest. Viorst asked if Pankeys behavior changed once he became a suspect in the case.
Sun Communities Monthly Fees,
Philadelphia Police Records Phone Number,
Tornado Warning Canandaigua, Ny,
Articles S