Colorado 1984 Cold Case Solved — The Killer Once Ran For Idaho Governor

Colorado 1984 Cold Case Solved — The Killer Once Ran For Idaho Governor 42 years ago, a 12-year-old girl in Greeley, Colorado performed in her school’s Christmas concert, was driven home by her friend’s family, signaled that she had gotten inside safely by turning the lights on and off from the front window, left a note by the phone for her dad, and then disappeared from the house while her father was on his way home from a basketball game. The only trace outside the house was a set of footprints in the snow — footprints that someone had tried to erase with a garden rake before the police arrived. Authorities searched everywhere but never found her body. 1. Former Idaho Gubernatorial Candidate Charged With Killing Girl, 12, Who Vanished in 1984 NBC News reports that Steven Pankey, 69, was arrested in Idaho on October 12, 2020, after being indicted by a Weld County grand jury. Weld County DA Michael Rourke stated Pankey had revealed "intimate knowledge about the commission of the crime" not available to the public. Greeley Police Chief called the arrest "36 years in the making." Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/... 2. Who Killed Jonelle Matthews? What Her Suspected Killer Steve Pankey Said on the Witness Stand CBS News' in-depth 48 Hours investigation covers the full arc of the case: Jonelle's 1984 disappearance after a Christmas choir concert, the 2019 discovery of her remains by pipeline workers, and Pankey's contradictory statements across decades. Pankey attended the same Greeley church as the Matthews family and lived approximately two miles from their home. Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jonelle-... 3. Former Idaho Gubernatorial Candidate Convicted of Killing Colorado Girl, 12, Who Vanished in 1984 NBC News covers the October 31, 2022 guilty verdict in Pankey's retrial at Weld County District Court. Jurors found Pankey, 71, guilty of felony murder, second-degree kidnapping, and false reporting. The first trial in 2021 had ended in a hung jury. A judge immediately sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/... 4. Former Political Candidate Names Himself a Person of Interest in a Murder Case — CBS News CBS News details how Pankey, over the course of seven political campaigns in Idaho, repeatedly and publicly inserted himself into the Jonelle Matthews investigation, drawing scrutiny. He attempted runs for governor, sheriff, lieutenant governor, and council — all while investigators tracked his increasingly suspicious statements about the 1984 cold case. Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jonelle-... 5. Ex-Idaho Gubernatorial Candidate Found Guilty in 1984 Murder of Colorado Girl — Reuters Reuters wire service reports that Pankey was found guilty in Weld County District Court on October 31, 2022, in his second trial. An autopsy had confirmed Jonelle died from a gunshot wound to the head. Pankey faced a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole after 20 years, to be imposed the same day as the verdict. Source: https://news.yahoo.com/ex-idaho-guber...