Pankey depicted this notion of enemies when he made Christy the villain in his fiction writings, according to assistant district attorney Robb Miller. The defense attorney strived to bring this evidence into Pankeys defense from the testimony of Andrea Yost, the ex-wife of Drakes roommate in 1984 and a woman with whom he developed a romantic relationship. And he said, no, not to his knowledge. We were very involved in our church. And furthermore, Viorst told the jury that Pankey wasn't the only person who knew about those raked footprints. Richard Schlesinger: So, you've really gotta believe these prosecution witnesses to convict this guy. But by then, defense attorney Anthony Viorst had silenced his chatty new client. I offered to take a polygraph. Mr. Pankey wanted to be a person of interest. 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.. Police even reported Pankey offered the same deal to other law enforcement agencies. Anthony Viorst: He was at home that night with his wife and child. 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. Richard Schlesinger: What were the challenges facing the prosecution? Kelly Werthmann: People were ready. I just wanted to not be married to him anymore, she said. Pankey said two Greeley detectives came to his condo around Aug. 15 and asked to interview him, but he told them that he would speak to them only if his attorney was present. Anthony Viorst: That is arguably the one piece of evidence that arguably ties Mr. Pankey to the crime. His sister believed he shouldnt be partaking in the interviews, and his involvement in this case physically bothers her, she said. The attorney also told her she had to say what she reported to Olson in their 1989 interview while testifying on Wednesday, to create reasonable doubt in this case. But keep in mind, I'm a 26-year law enforcement veteran. But the most talkative person in this case had yet to be heard from. I believed, at the time, he might have involvement, Olson said. Ryan Horsley:It just seemed strange. Pankey was on the stand for two days giving testimony that was often rambling and hard to follow, and sometimes head-scratching. Steve Pankey went the other way after his youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student Norris Drake. He said his mother allegedly said multiple sets of shoe prints, which belonged to kids who came to kidnap Jonelle, were found in the backyard of the home. The big thing in policing now is DNA. "[T]here's no indication that he committed this murder, no indication that he had anything to do with burying the body. Jim Matthews: I just kept telling him, I said, "Listen, I'm telling you the truth. Pankey said he had brushes with the law in Colorado before Jonelles disappearance that led police to mistrust him. In a matter of days, the search was all over the news, but not because police were talking. 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. You know, she always came home. Anthony Viorst: He argued with a bank teller and the police were called. Don't accuse me . Everything to know about his ex-wife and son. The day before the service, Hicks and Vanessa Sakulenzki, Hicks half-sister, were standing near the urn when Pankey approached. But Jonelle's family and friends could only attract that kind of attention for so long. He said he won all the trials. I remember being afraid. STEVE PANKEY [Idaho Statesman political ad]: I'm one of the people who wants to represent you. And I think my jaw probably hit my desk, and I said, "What?". 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. 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. It may or may not have something to do with the Jonelle Matthews case.". Along with Mark, Barr was unaware of past gun use by Pankey, but said she gave him the old gun recently. Now under oath, Pankey said it was time to say truthfully that he was liar until now. Pankey is a representative of the Republican Party. He testified about a call he got back in 2019, about a bizarre claim Pankey made in a letter to the media. Claire St. Amant is the development producer. On Monday, Hicks testified Pankey was less happy with his job when Ross became his boss at the 7 Up Bottling Company, especially after he was let go from his position over a legal battle Pankey started. And I was an elementary principal. Jim Matthews recalls arriving home at about 9:30 p.m. and found that his daughter wasn't there. Ryan Horsley: Yeah. 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. Drake and Yost lived together from 1985-1987. After an Aug. 13, 2013, phone call with the suspect, he still did not make a report, but Viorst said Olson wasnt in charge of investigating Pankey. The department issued a statement Friday in which it called Pankey a person of interest in the murder investigation of Jonelle Matthews.. His son was friends with Pankey's son, Mark. Deanna Ross: We rode our bikes a lot around town. Her remains were discovered on July 24, 2019, and the trial for her Viorst will bring in new witnesses Thursday. On December 20, 1984, a 14-year-old girl, Jonelle Mathews was kidnapped from her home in Colorado, never to return. In all, Pankey attempted seven runs for office. DA Michael Rourke: He wasn't a person of interest. Jonelle Matthews' friends Darla Jentzsch and Deanna Ross remember growing up with Jonelle. As investigators struggled to find answers, they focused initially on Jonelle's father Jim Matthews. The only evidence left behind were shoeprints in the snow shoeprints someone tried to erase with a garden rake. Steve Pankey doesn't have a Wikipedia bio, however, he has made several stints in US politics. Olson said they found no criminatory evidence.. He said he was charged over his years in Colorado with as many as 20 other arbitrary misdemeanors, such as battery and harassment by phone, and went to trial multiple times. In his closing argument, Viorst, who's a lawyer, not a psychiatrist, raised serious questions about his client's mental health. DA ROBERT MILLER: He's not someone that has a mental health disorder, he's a master manipulator. Kelly Werthmann: I mean, as a reporter, you start lookin' around tryin' to do some searching of who this person is. Richard Schlesinger: Did it occur to you that maybe she had run away? Police might have been closer to an answer than they knew. Once her remains were identified, the police department issued a news release saying that the case was now a homicide investigation. WELD COUNTY, Colo. Steve Pankey was found guilty by a jury of felony murder and second-degree kidnapping on Monday in the 1984 death of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews. By 2002, the divorce was finalized. She said a very emotional Pankey walked up The trial starts back up at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday with a new witness on the stand. Pankey is a person of interest in a cold case homicide out of 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. Viorst said Hicks met with prosecutors and completed multiple interviews with police, but she never talked to him. Anthony Viorst: There's no physical evidence whatsoever to connect Mr. Pankey to this crime. JUDGE TIMOTHY KERNS: We the jury find the defendant Steven Dana Pankey guilty. After Pankey left home, she said she was close with him, but they didnt remain in contact. In another jaw-dropping move, in that same letter Pankey also named himself as a person of interest, while still insisting he's innocent. A group of Greeley residents worked hard to keep Jonelle's story alive. Marshals Service and Montgomery County Police. It's the kind of town realtors like to call "a great place to raise kids.". Pankey was a secretive man during their marriage, Hicks said. However, the politician was not found guilty on any of the charges he was indicted on. The day before the But it was intense. He maintains the sex was consensual. The Statesman reached out to the Greeley Police Department for comment on Thursday and did not receive an immediate response. 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 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. Drake responded he had only seen her a few times and he most likely heard his mother make a comment about her being a mature girl for her age.. Anthony Viorst: Mr. Pankey likes to talk. Anthony Viorst: It has nothing to do with this case. On October 12, 2020, police arrested Steven Pankey for kidnapping and first-degree murder. He was different from others and didnt get along with most people. Or was he one that just surrounded himself with strange, bizarre behavior for years? The selection changes often, but if you love good Buying or selling a home is the largest financial investment most people ever make. 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. 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. Upon reviewing the full case, Olson testified to finding a supplement containing an account from Francis Drake, Norris Drakes mother. That's when Jonelle went to sing in a school choir concert. 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. Kevin Schneider: Yes, he did. Unfortunately, we are not able to find out his current whereabouts. yes, I remember meeting him. Richard Schlesinger: Where was he the night Jonelle Matthews disappeared? She said she has been around Pankey only a handful of times, the last time being the memorial service for Carl. When Pankey was near the urn, Sakulenzki recalled he said something, but she didnt remember the exact words he used. That's what he says he thought at first, but a month after Jonelle's disappearance, Pankey suddenly inserted himself directly into the middle of this case and volunteered some information about Jonelle's disappearance. 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. On Dec. 20, 1984, 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews went missing from her Greeley home after singing in a school choir concert. His father was a Youth for Christ leader, and Pankey claimedthat he came from a family with a long history of he's a firm adherent to the Ten Commandments, which include thou shalt not kill. And there was something odd about them. The case drew national attention. (Courtesy of Angela Hicks) Please enter valid email address to continue. But the District Attorney's Office felt they had enough evidence to go to trial. The detective said there was very little record of the investigation. The comments made him suspicious given Jonelles disappearance, he said, so he reported them to the FBI rather than to local police. However, no DNA evidence was extracted from it, making the evidence against Pankey circumstantial. In 1840 there were 8 Pankey families living in Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. During the process of forming a file, Hicks was asked to write comments on newspaper stories and give them to the department. "And you always knew Jonelle was around [laughs]. And, once again, he didn't come close to winning. 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?" Darla Jentzsch: I'm so fortunate that we were neighbors. 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. Steve Pankey allegedly killed a 14-year-old girl from Greeley, Colorado in 1984. This story was originally published September 13, Richard Schlesinger: He wanted to run against a fellow church member? But Pankey has never been a man with clear answers. The detectives then left. A day before the service, Hicks said, she witnessed a bizarre moment. Mark told Viorst he had no recollection of a red-orange car, which multiple people testified seeing Pankey drive, including Hicks. And Pankey himself took the stand. Pankeys overall attitude toward the church and both men involved was negative, and he would get angry when their names would come up in conversation, according to Hicks. DA ROBERT MILLER: How long were you driving as you flipped stations looking for news stories about Jonelle Matthews? 48 Hours: Steve Pankey was arrested for the 1984 murder of Jonelle Mathews. Her comments brought up Pankeys connections to family friends of the Matthews family, according to Hicks. I said "I want to talk to you. Politician Lord Frost is one of the most prominent figures in the English government. Carter served for the past three years as associate vice president of communications and institutional advancement at Triton College in River Grove, IL, where he oversaw development and implementation of the colleges mission, vision and three-year strategic plan. The trial took place but the verdict came in the favor of the politician. WebPankey, 71, is on trial for the 1984 kidnapping and murder of Jonelle Matthews. At the start of the day, defense attorney Anthony Viorst advised the court the main subject matter for the day would be the introduction of evidence that would tie Norris Drake into the narrative of Jonelles disappearance. Pankey became a suspect in Jonelles murder the same year her remains were discovered, after Greeley police investigators took steps to modernize the case. Jim Matthews: No, because I know my daughter well enough that number one, it's Christmas time. Ryan Horsley: I was kind of confused because our local sheriff actually went to our church. In the years after Jonelle disappeared, Drake was arrested on multiple unrelated misdemeanor charges. How Many Games Are Played In The First Round Of The NHL Playoffs. They never released the information about the rake. He even agreed to a lie detector test, with an FBI agent. Isn't it? Jim Matthews was eventually cleared. 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. The police and court records of what happened with the charges are no longer available. 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. 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. What happened? It's just he is a strange guy. 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. Deanna Ross: That I'd see her the next day, at school. For the family of Jonelle Matthews, the news was so devastating they didn't want to discuss it. Richard Schlesinger: Were you a close family? His girlfriend severely killed him in 2008 in Phoenix. On July 23, 2019, the remains of Jonelle Matthews were discovered by an excavation crew digging a pipeline in a rural area southeast of Greeley, Colorado. Anthony Viorst: Yeah, they told him. Who is he? Mayor John Gates: I remember that night like it was yesterday. 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.". So, I might be a little more cynical than the average person. of course, you know, you think that's terrible, but lots of kids go missing, you know. But there was no rest for the Matthews. Their son, Carl, was murdered in Phoenix in 2008. KELLY WERTHMANN: Did you kill Jonelle Matthews? On the night Jonelle vanished, Drake was unaccounted for for several hours. 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. Over the phone, Pankey said he was a pastor from a Baptist church. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: We went to California to be with my parents for Christmas. Kevin Schneider says he met the Pankey family when they first moved to Idaho. Chelsea Narvaez is the associate producer. The red-orange car was allegedly seen by Jonelle and her friend on the bus heading back from the choir concert on Dec. 20, 1984. Her murder went unsolved for 35 years until they found her body in 2019. Jim Matthews takes the stand in the trial of the man accused of the kidnapping and murder of his 12-year-old daughter Jonelle. Mayor Gates thinks there's plenty of evidence against Pankey. They returned to Colorado on Dec. 26, 1984, he said, and heard the news of a missing child on the radio. 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. STEVEN PANKEY: I wanna back up a little bit. Like that story he once told law enforcement about his father-in-law. Hes my brother, and I love him, she said with a smile. 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. 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. Pankeys father believed a womans place was in the home, women had to obey her husband and other more traditional ideas of marriage. "It began as a series of lies, and it got bigger and bigger over the years," Pankey told the jury. / CBS News, [This story previously aired on January 8, 2022. And two days later they were back. As a result, Steve Pankey was arrested and taken under custody. 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. Viorst began his examination by asking if Pankey had the right to defend himself during this trial, receiving a yes response from Hicks. Additionally, she contacted friends with the Englewood police about the case a few weeks after her disappearance. Pankey was even unaware of the gender and names of her children, according to a statement he made in January 2021, Miller said. Daviet recalls sleeping on the couch right by the front door when Drake arrived home past midnight to go to his room in the basement. DA MICHAEL ROURKE: The search for justice for Jonelle begins today. and we submit that he never knew where the body was because he didn't do this. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The woman eventually asked that the case be dismissed. Hicks described their relationship as bitter enemies.. Both were members of the Sunny View Church of the Nazarene and friends to the Matthews family, who had also attended the church. Richard Schlesinger: Is that in any way believable to you? The search, Pankey said, came about a month after he gave police a DNA sample. Andersen said he remembers the car being reddish, but he could not swear to this statement either. 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. Fred Smith knows real estate. Jim Matthews: They sent two or three detectives out and started searching the house for clues. ANTHONY VIORST: He lives in a world of conspiracy, paranoia and low self-esteem. I was just kind of glued to the headlines this whole time on just his stories that they just didn't make sense. Richard Schlesinger: Why would he interject himself into the case? He testified that in the past he had lied about his knowledge of the case. He's had periodic sort of spats with people because he is an irascible, prickly guy. JUDGE TIMOTHY KERNS: I realize the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the other counts and that is a perfectly acceptable way for a trial to conclude. There was one occasion where he made comments about how attractive younger girls were at the pool. 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. The bucket of bizarre means a lot to me. The lack of reports and recordings from the first discussion between Olson and Drake raised concerns with Wells during her cross-examination. Hicks remembers Pankey saying, Do you really think I would hurt her when she looked so much like you?. 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. He just does, for whatever reason. 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. And he calls Detective Jack Stotler and he identifies himself as a ordained Baptist minister.

Villiers High School Teacher Sacked, San Antonio Housing Authority Staff Directory, Robert Gutierrez, Odm Age, Articles S