Pankey ANTHONY VIORST: Norris Drake had an interest in young girls who had recently reached puberty, exactly what Jonelle was, exactly. After the two-and-a-half hour interview, Drake indicated he would return back to discuss the case more, but he never did. Kelly Werthmann: People were ready. 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?" 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. WebPankey, 71, is on trial for the 1984 kidnapping and murder of Jonelle Matthews. Kelly Werthmann: To not have that definitive answer It's frustrating. Pankeys eldest son has no recollection of this ban and remembers watching TV with his parents, he said during his short time on the stand. Now under oath, Pankey said it was time to say truthfully that he was liar until now. And we just had a very full life. In addition to appearing in Weld District Court, Yost stated she had to go to court in North Carolina. His mother and sister lived across the street from the Matthews home, and he was at his mother's house the night Jonelle was taken. Pankey was even unaware of the gender and names of her children, according to a statement he made in January 2021, Miller said. 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. In 1989, they settled in Idaho, but Pankey admits he could not stop thinking about Jonelle. It's believed she's the victim of a kidnapping. Ryan Horsley:It just seemed strange. Hes my brother, and I love him, she said with a smile. Richard Schlesinger: Well, at some point, your your name came outta that bucket of bizarre. 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. Kelly Werthmann: He really wanted to make himself clear that he was framed. Anthony Viorst: Mr. Pankey loves the limelight. Viorst said Hicks met with prosecutors and completed multiple interviews with police, but she never talked to him. In 1999, Hicks was collecting evidence, newspapers and legal files, and made a cassette statement on her accounts. 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. She responded he had visions of grandeur, and it ran in their family. Jonelle was reported missing from her home in Greeley, north of Denver, on Dec. 20, 1984, after returning from performing a Christmas concert with her classmates, according to the Denver Post. You know, she always came home. 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. He even mentioned them in a 2019 conversation, with investigators. In 1840 there were 8 Pankey families living in Judy Tygard is the executive producer. "Always seemed to kind of be the life of the party," Jim Matthews fondly recalled of Jonelle. Zero physical evidence, OK? He said he won all the trials. 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. When Steven Pankey swore to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, Gloria and Jim Matthews were hoping to finally get to the truth, about their daughter, Jonelle's, murder. As per reports, the 14-year-old was kidnapped and reportedly killed somewhere in Greeley, Colorado. Patti Aronofsky is the senior producer. Former political candidate Steve Pankey 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: The Rescue Jonelle Committee made all kinds of things happen. Their son, Carl, was murdered in Phoenix in 2008. It was agony for Jonelle's mother Gloria, who could no longer hope her daughter would come home. Marshals Service and Montgomery County Police. That's when I started losing it. Who is he? He just does, for whatever reason. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: They've got full SWAT gear on. Past statements from the Drake family gave investigators a timeline to Norris Drakes alibi. The video showed Drake being questioned about his knowledge of the controlled evidence. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: They searched this place, they took my laptop . 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. 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. Its the new home of High Plains Bank in Wiggins. DA MICHAEL ROURKE: The search for justice for Jonelle begins today. Asked by Miller if there was physical abuse in her relationship with Pankey, Hicks answered yes. Pankey was seen in what was described by multiple witnesses as an orange-red vehicle over the years. And yet he picks up the phone. Pankey said he had brushes with the law in Colorado before Jonelles disappearance that led police to mistrust him. Pankey is a representative of the Republican Party. Steve Pankey was born in 1951 in Ventura, California. However, the politician was not found guilty on any of the charges he was indicted on. His 1980 Toyota Corolla was packed to visit family in California for the Christmas holiday. Pankey was on the stand for two days giving testimony that was often rambling and hard to follow, and sometimes head-scratching. They also testified this information was never made public. What happened? Norris Drake. One time, I guess their family dog was doing a lot of barking, and it was irritating Steven. 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. The first trial ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous Pankey, who resided in Idaho in the years leading up to his arrest, was a 33-year-old used car salesman living in Greeley with his then-wife and young son at the time of Jonelle's disappearance. Darla Jentzsch: We all lived with our front doors open. Gloria Matthews: We are going to know that she was murdered [crying]. In total, he said the word rake 11 times, compared to Drake saying it twice, Wells said. Pankey himself would take the stand. Anthony Viorst says his client has an alibi. WebWhat happened to Steve Pankey son? STEVEN PANKEY: I had never imagined Angie would be as big a liar as I am. Richard Schlesinger: What made that campaign a dumpster fire? She says that shocked her because Pankey had forbidden radio and television use in their house, about a year earlier. Pankeys youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student, was shot and killed by his girlfriend in 2008 in Phoenix. Like that story he once told law enforcement about his father-in-law. "One lie leads to another.". But Pankey used to say he was close friends with the pastor. Pankey was home with his family when Jonelle went missing, Viorst said, and he did not own a gun at the time. 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. Former candidate for ID governor investigated in 1984 Colorado Due to his business buying used cars and parts to sell to customers, Pankey would be in possession of several different cars. Thats why its so important to That great looking new building in Wiggins? 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. Richard Schlesinger: It's a hell of a way to get the limelight. Officers told Hicks that Pankey was the one who claimed to have information involving Jonelles disappearance but refused to give the police anything until they gave him immunity, she said. I said listen, "I have been very honest, I've been accessible to you any time you wanted, but I'm getting sick of this because I am innocent.". Once her remains were identified, the police department issued a news release saying that the case was now a homicide investigation. Moroever, the case remained hanging for more than 35 years until the remains of the young girl were discovered in 2019. Steve Pankey and Angela Hicks' son, Carl, was murdered in 2008. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I lived in Greeley, Colorado, from 1973 . Steve Pankey Tuesday, Hicks testified that a day before his memorial service, she witnessed a bizarre moment. He agreed they were listening to the radio on their way back to Greeley. One of the star witnesses in this case, Steven Pankey's ex-wife Angela Hicks, testified about what she says she witnessed while married to Pankey. 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. She just loves the whole festivities of Christmas. And I heard on the car radio that a girl was missing from Greeley, Colorado. Steve Pankey's ex-wife describes his behavior in the days Ryan N. Smith is a development producer. He testified that in the past he had lied about his knowledge of the case. 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. What happened to Carl Pankey? STEVEN PANKEY: So, the truth is that I made a lot of stuff up out of bitterness. STEVE PANKEY [to KMVT]: I contacted the Fort Collins FBI office. ANTHONY VIORST: Mr. Pankey does have a mental illness. Kelly Werthmann: This was a moment that this community had been waiting for a long time. On the night Jonelle went missing, Pankey said, he was home with his then-wife. How did he seem to you? And Viorst had more, based on testimony by a former girlfriend of Drake's. After piecing the paper together, she saw in his handwriting that, once again, he said the snow was raked over outside of Jonelles home. He doesnt talk much about his mother, but generally gives the impression that he was raised in a very religious family. The big thing in policing now is DNA. But just five days before Christmas, Greeley learned it could not hide from evil. Steven Pankey Indictment in Jonelle Matthews Murder Update After hearing testimony from multiple witnesses, Steven Pankey took the stand. He says Norris Drake, whose mother lived across the street from Jonelle, is the killer. The department issued a statement Friday in which it called Pankey a person of interest in the murder investigation of Jonelle Matthews.. The Statesman could not immediately verify that. WebWhat Happened During Steve Pankeys Trial For The 1984 Murder Of Jonelle Matthews? In another jaw-dropping move, in that same letter Pankey also named himself as a person of interest, while still insisting he's innocent. "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. The detective said there was very little record of the investigation. Steve Pankey trial Day 5: Pankeys ex-wife calls defense attorney a 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. Hicks shared a story Monday about witnessing her husband drive past the church following his removal. Jim Matthews: The number one interrogator west of the Mississippi. Pankeys youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student, was shot and killed by his girlfriend in 2008 in Phoenix. 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. "48 Hours" tried to get our own interview with Pankey. The next step in the investigation was gathering the evidence Olson collected to present to the the Weld District Attorneys Office. Hicks remembers Pankey saying, Do you really think I would hurt her when she looked so much like you?. And I had a 5-year-old son. Richard Schlesinger: I'm sorry, did you say an exorcism? Jonelle's father Jim says the fast-breaking news about Pankey surprised him. (Courtesy of Angela Hicks) WebSteve Pankey and Angela Hicks' son, Carl, was murdered in 2008. They never released the information about the rake. STEVE PANKEY ["Unfound" podcast]: She was 23 years old. When it comes to landscape Did you know Your Butcher, Frank has super tasty delicatessen salads? 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. "[T]here's no indication that he committed this murder, no indication that he had anything to do with burying the body. Steve Pankey 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. 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. STEVE PANKEY [Idaho Statesman political ad]: I'm one of the people who wants to represent you. Steve Pankey allegedly killed a 14-year-old girl from Greeley, Colorado in 1984. Jim Matthews: No, because I know my daughter well enough that number one, it's Christmas time. An attorney in North Carolina said if she didnt show up for the Pankey trial as a witness, she would go to jail. 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. 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. I'm telling you everything I know." Viorst asked if Pankeys behavior changed. Hicks stated Viorst, sounded like a bully in the first voicemail, which is why she never returned his calls. On Dec. 20, 1984, 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews went missing from her Greeley home after singing in a school choir concert. Throughout Yosts testimony, Deputy District Attorney Lacy Wells made several objections to Viorsts remarks about Drakes interest in young girls. Jim Matthews: He was not a youth worker at our church. Wells argued Al Dominguez, the district attorney of Weld County during that time, previously testified he never touched nor came across Jonelles case.