It was Pankeys second trial in the case. He was not convicted on either of these allegations. Over the years, the police said that Pankey had intentionally inserted himself into the investigation, claiming to have information about the crime. Daily, over 337 million Europeans use the euro. Harris introduced Pankeys obsession with true crime, and how he even tied it into a science fiction book he wrote, while Hicks remained on the stand for the majority of Monday. It was really hard, Hicks said. He also said it happened after his . The jury voted to convict Pankey on a single misdemeanor count of making false statements to police, but was unable to come to a unanimous verdict on the kidnapping and murder charges. After their divorce, Pankey and Hicks stayed in communication, which included chatting over the phone a few times per year and getting together for dinner at their oldest sons house. Friends can be as close as family. A judge then sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole. What am I going to do? Copyright 2023 Distractify. He's had periodic sort of spats with people because he is an irascible, prickly guy. Public Defender John Walsh noted its exceedingly likely Pankey will reenter a plea of not guilty. Angela Hicks, Pankeys former spouse, took the stand for her second day of testimony Monday morning. 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. It was a very unsettling, distressing thing to go through, she said. He is next scheduled to appear in court June 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. He has lived in the Aurora/Southeast Denver Metro area since 1965 and is an expert Getting ready for a yard project? It was suggested that his discharge might have been related to homosexual activities as right after being released, he said that he left the gay lifestyle and repented for it. It's official: Jamal Murray, Nuggets are in Phoenix's heads now. He has lived in the Aurora/Southeast Denver Metro area since 1965 and is an expert Getting ready for a yard project? Brought to you by Prairie Mountain Publishing, defense attorney Anthony Viorst withdrew as counsel, Sexually violent predator moves into Greeley community, Greeley police shoot, kill armed 24-year-old man Saturday, Windsor announces lineup for Movies in the Park and Summer Concert Series, Greeley, Weld County Death Notices for April 30, 2023, Greeley, Weld County Death Notices for April 29, 2023, Avalanches Stanley Cup defense sputters to end in Game 7 of first round vs. underdog Seattle Kraken, 'We're doing it for these families': Greeley-Weld Habitat for Humanity celebrates double home dedication, Broncos still have holes to fill on roster with 2023 NFL draft in the books, Greeley, Weld County Death Notices for April 28, 2023, Weld RE-1 School District principal named best of the year at middle school level, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. In July 2019, oil workers found Jonelles remains with one gunshot wound to the head buried in unincorporated Weld County. She also said this trip was unexpected. Prior to this, Pankey had constant problems with law enforcement, Hicks said, and he was suing people left and right. 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. Along with arguing Pankeys true crime nature, Harris asserted Pankeys interest in Jonelles case, naturally, stemmed from its link to Sunny View Church, particularly Ross and Pastor Jim Christys names being used in the media at the time. Beginning in Hong Kong then spreading to Europe, the crash then hit the United States. Pankey's trial began on Thursday, October 14, 2021, ultimately ending in a mistrial on November 4, 2021, due to a hung jury. While the search was going on, Steve Pankey, a former Idaho governor candidate, made himself a person of interest by making allegedly incriminating statements and also discussing information about the crime the police had withheld from the public. After his indictment, Pankey pleaded not guilty to the charges, choosing to take his case to trial while remaining in custody on a $5 million bond. A few days after Jonelles disappearance, Pankey was approached by Hicks father, who worked at a cemetery in Greeley, he told interviewers. Her death was then ruled a homicide. [25] The prosecution argued that Pankey's behavior and statements incriminated him in the murder, but Pankey's defense attorney argued that his "obsessive interest" in the case could be attributed to Asperger syndrome. [13][21] According to the 2020 indictment statement, shortly following their return to Greeley, Pankey started digging in their yard. In the 1980s, Pankey prohibited Hicks from driving, reading newspapers, watching TV or listening to music. Over the next several years, their family moved all over the United States and ended up in Idaho. 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. Update, May 18: Two attorneys Jessica Brazil and Peter Harris have been appointed to represent Steve Pankey. Steve Pankey, who is accused of kidnapping and murdering Jonelle, is accused of watching Franklin Middle School children walk home from school in the Weld County Grand Jury's indictment of Pankey. I hope that she found that to be an empowering experience., 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), It was very, very frightening: Steve Pankeys ex-wife talks living in fear up until his guilty verdict, Four arrested in connection with shooting outside Aurora mall, Mesa County, health contractor to pay $2 million after 27-year-old dies of epileptic seizures in jail, 14-year-old girl missing from Denver found safe, Driver dies, passenger survives fatal Corvette rollover crash that forced closure of northbound I-225. Saddam Hussein's forces had previously invaded the sovereign state of Kuwait and the focus of the operation was to remove his Iraqi troops from Kuwait. Furthermore, the police claimed that Pankey had information about a crucial piece of evidence a rake used to sweep away footprints in the snow which the police had not disclosed to the public. He was never elected. And I think my jaw probably hit my desk, and I said, 'What?'" [18], Excavators installing a pipeline discovered human remains at 4:50 PM on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, near the intersection of County Roads 34.5 and 49 at coordinates .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}401423N 1043609W / 40.239848N 104.602514W / 40.239848; -104.602514, about 15mi (24km) southeast of Jonelle's home. Do you really think I would hurt her when she looked so much like you? Pankey responded. In February 1985, before the couple moved out of Greeley, they attended a church across the street from their home. All the information collected and observed by Hicks, along with a written and verbal statement from her, was sent to the Greeley Police Department. However, it was more than a year later, on October 13, 2020, that the police announced Pankey had been indicted on charges related to first-degree murder and kidnapping in Jonelle's death. Pankey then began leaving documents and court paperwork on Hicks desk titled, Angies files. She said he would try to sue everyone from a car dealership to a dentist, but in his pages of documents, there would often be a paragraph or two about Jonelle. "He argued with a bank teller and the police were called," he said. There were no signs of a struggle or of forced entry. At his son's funeral, Hicks reportedly heard Pankey say, "I hope God didn't allow this to happen because of Jonelle Matthews. Pour en savoir plus sur la faon dont nous utilisons vos donnes personnelles, veuillez consulter notre politique relative la vie prive et notre politique en matire de cookies. A photo of Carl Pankey with his mother, Angela. Hicks and her then-husband, Steve Pankey, along with their young son, had just visited Pankey's family in Big Bear Lake, California, more than 15 hours away. While living in Idaho, Pankey continued to have brushes with the law. After the last time Hicks spoke to Pankey in 2019, she never wanted to speak to him again. She looked like she was in shock and disbelief, Sakulenzkia said during her time on the stand. Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Carl's lifetime. JACKSON, Miss. At the time of her disappearance, Jonelle's father was the principal of Platte Valley Elementary School in Kersey, Colorado.[6]. Deputy District Attorney Lacy Wells called Deb McDonald, formerly known as Deb Moon, to the stand to briefly discuss her romantic involvement with Pankey back in 1977 which would later end in Pankeys ex-communication from the church. Steve Pankey was arrested in Idaho on Monday and charged with kidnapping and murdering 12 years old boy Jonelle Matthews. Heres where Idaho governor candidates stand by CYNTHIA SEWELL, The following appeared in the Idaho Statesman on APRIL 07, 2018 09:59 PM (updated April 9 2018). Carl's immediate relatives including parents, siblings, partnerships and children in the Pankey family tree. Hicks claimed to have heard Pankey muttering in response, accusing the minister of being a false prophet. A status hearing was set for 1:30 p.m. May 3. Prosecutors said Pankey kept up to date on the case throughout the years even as he moved his family to several states before settling in Idaho where he ran unsuccessfully as a Constitution Party candidate for Idaho governor in 2014 and in the Republican gubernatorial primary in 2018, the year that authorities said he was named as a person of interest in the girls death. 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. Hicks couldnt find her paycheck in her cubby at work, and asked the owner, who was also her and Pankeys landlady. 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. [17], A chokecherry tree was planted in front of Franklin Middle School in memory of Jonelle. In 1990, by the time he was merely 3 years old, on April 24th, the Hubble telescope was launched into space after long delays due to the Challenger explosion. Kiszla: One-hit wonders? When it comes to landscape Did you know Your Butcher, Frank has super tasty delicatessen salads? Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. @48hours. And so to me, that was the single most significant telling of what she recalled that really, to be honest with you, put me over the top in terms of charging him in the first place.. Oct. 31After almost 38 years, the mystery of what happened to Jonelle Matthews on Dec. 20, 1984 has been put to rest. In 1987, in the year that Carl Wesley Pankey was born, on October 19th, stock exchanges around the world crashed. Pankey is serving his sentence at the Bent County Correctional Facility in Las Animas, Colorado. in the family tree section to add relatives, or press the "X" Jonelle was twelve when . She said she confronted Pankey about the situation, who responded that he needed the money to pay legal fees. The jury found him guilty on making false reports to authorities, but they were deadlocked on the other kidnapping and murder counts. As the last person suspected of speaking to Jonelle, she testified she would have called the police if she would have known she was talking to a 12-year-old since the girl resembled a first grader over the phone. "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," Judge Timothy Kerns told the court. Colorado lawmakers "belly flop" on water crisis, opting for further study of Colorado River over action, experts say, Colorado property tax relief: Polis, lawmakers reveal plan to ease skyrocketing tax bills, Kiszla: Avs embarrass themselves with silence about Valeri Nichushkin's mysterious absence following reported 9-1-1 call, Images, suicide note released in mall massacre, Avalanche's Stanley Cup defense sputters to end in Game 7 of first round vs. underdog Seattle Kraken, Kraken-Avs Game 7 Quick Hits: Philipp Grubauer gets last laugh on Colorado fans, Avs, Ask Amy: A gentleman ponders gender salutations, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Thats why its so important to That great looking new building in Wiggins? Photos, memories, family stories & discoveries are unique to you, and only you can control. a The name of that college is unknown. Where we share what we remember to make discoveries and meaningful connections with others. But, I mean, all of that was put aside because you have to be fair to the defendant, Hicks said. Vous pouvez modifier vos choix tout moment en cliquant sur le lien Tableau de bord sur la vie prive prsent sur nos sites et dans nos applications. Hicks said it wasnt unusual for her husband to leave for the day in the early morning and not return until anytime between 4-11 p.m., which is why she couldnt recall what time he came home and what he was doing on Dec. 20, 1984, the day Jonelle went missing. Pankey's then-defense attorney Anthony Viorst told "48 Hours," "there's no indication that he committed this murder, no indication that he had anything to do with burying the body. In her testimony, she said their septic tank had just been replaced earlier that year and she didnt notice any issues. Hicks felt she had to walk on eggshells around Pankey. Keeler: Chris Paul got dirty. Mr. Pankey wanted to be a person of interest Mr. Pankey loves the limelight all of the statements that he has made about his culpability have been, 'I didn't do it.'". He requested Hicks grab copies of the Greeley Tribune and The Denver Post, she said. From the mid-90s until 2019, the information Hicks gave to police sat there because the Greeley Police Department didnt investigate the file sent from Sun Valley. Law enforcement records describe unrelated run-ins Steven Pankey had with Greeley police. The retrial of Steven Pankey is scheduled for October 4, 2022. She shared that Pankey would not allow her to spend money without getting his permission first, prohibited her from seeing her father, would not let her drive the car and even gave her a time limit if she would go to the grocery store.