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Jonelle Matthews Case Verdict: Was Steve Pankey Sentenced To Life Imprisonment?
Pankey was taken into custody in Idaho in October 2020. The Weld County District Attorney’s Office claims that in December 1984, Pankey took Matthews from her home before fatally shooting her.
On July 23, 2019, a team digging a pipeline in a remote area of Weld County found what seemed to be human remains.
When the deputies from the Weld County Sheriff’s Office arrived, they “decided the remains were human.”
The remains were definitively identified as belonging to Matthews, according to Greeley Police, based on evidence found at the site and an assessment by the Weld County Coroner’s Office.
Pankey was put on trial in 2021, according to KMGH-TV, but the jury allegedly couldn’t agree on the allegations. During that trial, he was found guilty of fabricating information.
In his 2018 campaign to become governor of Idaho, Pankey vowed to “back President Trump’s Nationalist Policies” and “Drain the Swamp in 2018 and beyond.” In addition to running for lieutenant governor, he apparently studied criminal justice in college.
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Some Quick Facts About Jonelle Matthews
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| Born | February 9, 1972
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
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| Disappeared | December 20, 1984 (aged 12) |
| Status | Solved |
| Died | c. December 20, 1984 Greeley, Colorado
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| Cause of death | Gunshot wound to the head |
| Body discovered | Along a rural route southeast of Greeley, Colorado |
| Resting place | Linn Grove Cemetery, Greeley, Colorado |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Franklin Middle School |
| Occupation | Student |
| Organization(s) | Member of Sunny View Church of the Nazarene and Franklin Middle School Choir |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Jennifer Mogensen (sister), Terri Vierra-Martinez (biological mother) |
Details About Jonelle Matthews Family
Terri Vierra, at 13 years old, gave birth to Jonelle Matthews on February 9, 1972, at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California. James “Jim” and Gloria Matthews, a married couple with a daughter, adopted Jonelle in March 1972. They lived in Greeley, Colorado. Jonelle’s father served as the headmaster of Platte Valley Elementary School in Kersey, Colorado, at the time of her abduction.
