Pdfiles magnet is the Church because it's full of unsuspecting souls. I go to Church every Sunday, no absent, i would never have thought that someone would have have satanic mind while worshipping. At the end of the day, only God knows your heart.
That is beyond easy to explain. Far too many "pastors" are hired not because they clearly have the Spirit of God in their lives, but because they have "the right education/lingo/denomination/"experience from another church"/"reputation in the community"/so forth. Most Denominational churches only care about appearance (both external and superficial stuff), and never really focus on little details. That is the reason why the churches that rarely if ever have that happen are the ones who have very minute/minuscule to absolutely no "obligation to the large organization first" mindset. *_The perfect example of why that is good is in seeing the most easily thought of proof the reverse is a huge part of the problem: The Roman Catholic Church!! That is the extreme, yes.. but it is the most immediate to define showcase of how internal politics, outward appearance, and "what is best for everyone.. even the pervert himself/herself..." come together to deny the victims any real justice._*
@@Ingrafre I do think Pankey has mental illness or personality disorder. I think it manifests in wanting to be involved in the case. I don't think he had anything to do with it.
It was odd that his first reaction was to laugh when asked if he'd murdered that poor girl, that's not a normal response to being asked such a question. A lot of murderers like to insert themselves into investigations as well as obsessing over media coverage of their murders. Something is definitely off with this man.
To be honest I am like that I laugh to hide true feelings especially when I am shocked so I wouldn't necessarily judge him but I understand where ur coming from
When are you going to learn that people react differently to a situation than you would. I wouldn't actually consider it a 'laugh' at the crime, it's a laugh at the accusation. You see the interviews with this guy and he is eccentric.
Thats a nervous reaction, and many people respond that way when they are asked uncomfortable questions. I laugh when I am in pain rather than cry, that's also a normal reaction to many people. Not defending that man, but laughing at that point is a normal reaction.
@@summer2572 also if you didn't know Jonelle wrote extensively in her diary about wanting to run away and how badly she was treated by her family due to being adopted. At this point it could even be the family
48 hours is the BEST show ever .. every time I see a new episode I'm so giddy with excitement and curiosity....so glad they don't give up... EVERY life matters
For me it's also the main result here. I'm sorry for the family but the state did not go here beyond reasonable doubt. I read at the end that they got the conviction but I hope that they had more proof that what was shown here
@@superwoman6413 I can't believe they convicted him and on what? No physical evidence what-so-ever. Just a lot of innuendo and speculation which is why the first jury was deadlocked. I think he might have rubbed someone in the local government there the wrong way. No prosecutor in their right mind would take this to trial based on the little 'evidence' they had if it wasn't some kind of personal vendetta.
I don’t know whether he’s innocent or guilty but I can’t see what evidence they have against Pankey. Speaking as a psychotherapist he comes across as somewhat on the autistic scale.
@@dragonmummy1 his guilt was seeping out of him since it happened. Its just hard to prove except the astronomical amount of things he said and did that was just "weird" such as he did interject himself into the case, what his ex wife said he did, ect. Plus, I bet he confessed at some point. He is def guilty & exactly why he is in jail, imo
I mean, really that's impossible. My forensics professor said that forensics 101 is, there is no guilty appearance, there is no innocent reaction. Only in hindsight can you conclude someone's reactions equate to a guilty conscious or not. False confessions are just an example of such things. Same as how people react to horrible news differently.
Stupidest most absurd "advice" to give. People are naturally nervous when placed in a situation where they're being questioned by law enforcement or anyone related to judicial departments.
I was 16 living in Denver metro and remember her, too. When I saw the name on this video it was like seeing the name of an old friend from my ancient past! She was the same age as my little sister.
What a lovely comment 💖 I’m from Scotland so hadn’t heard of this case. Jonelle’s dad was like a powerhouse of love for his little girl. Of course we won’t know for sure if Panky IS the murderer of this young lass, but he repeatedly placed himself there through his words, so guilty or not, he will certainly have the rest of his life to reflect on his bizarre behaviour.
He wasn't convicted thankfully. Or is there an update? OMG there was a second trial in 22 and he was convicted. I don't believe it ,well I do. I don't believe he's guilty and hopefully there's a successful appeal.
I agree. There was no evidence and to base on his ex wife.... Just shows...keep your mouth shut.... That poor family though. At least she got a place to rest in peace 😢🙏🕊️ so heartbreaking especially if he didn't do it and the killer got away and an innocent man went to jail and a babygirl lost her life.... My God😮😢😢😮😢
@@Marie.b yea I saw that he was eventually convicted. Unless they had new evidence, the things they had stated in this video were not enough to convict him. There are too many innocent people in jail. We shouldn’t convict people just based on feelings and them being weird. I know they wanted to get justice for the family. But it needs to be done right. He seems very troubled too.
@@DanielleRitchie-r9h right! That’s what I’m thinking too. Get the proper evidence but without it, it’s not fair he is being sentenced based on him being weird and feelings towards his weird behavior.
@1kimkia agree 100%. I'm thinking of people with autism or even ADHD. People perceive their behaviours as 'weird' sometimes. How easy it could be for them to be wrongly convicted.
He lived right across the street, and I get DNA evidence was not used in trial, but DNA evidence and footprint ( or partial ), and fingerprints have been collected for decades. Just seems like shoddy detective work.
@@larasilva366From what I read, there was no DNA or fingerprint evidence found in Jonelle's home.Her body had been buried for too long for foreign DNA to be found.
I kept expecting there to be some convincing evidence of his guilt, but it never came. It was his ex-wife's word against his. He knew about the raked snow.... could have been leaked by police over the years. He was cruel to his dog. He was weird and unpleasant. His first reaction when asked if he murdered her was to laugh. That makes him look suspicious. but it's nowhere NEAR enough for a safe conviction. I hope they convicted him on more than that.
There is enough circumstantial evidence to prove his guilt. He had prior sexual assault charges and he had no alibi, a witness, his ex wife said how he acted after the girl went missing. He knew things only police and killer knew
@@furball192the same points you raise could be made against Drake - the guy who had come to stay across the street with his mum & sister. So no, the evidence is not enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt
There wasn't much they could say about her. This was before cellphone videos and social media, so snapshots and school photos and recollections by parents and school friends are all they have.
What a bizarre case and for one, I can't make out whether he's guilty or not. At first I thought he was a pompous try-hard but there are some indications that someone wouldn't know that easily, unless they've been involved. Either way, he is such a creep and I hope the family will be able to move on after so many years of agony.
No sense at all. The girl was shot and buried, this takes time, tools, a fire arm and get dirty. His wife did not notice any of this things? No, just the decision of a lunatic to go to California for Christmas.
According to the 2020 indictment statement, shortly following their return to Greeley, Pankey started digging in their yard. At about that time, a car stored on their property caught fire and the burned car "was disposed of at a salvage yard".
I live in idaho and i met Steve Pankey when he lived in Shoshone Idaho.. i was supposed to go work with him cleaning Dr Davis's office after hours.. He creeped me out to much for me to accept the job.. Steve Pankey very much wanted me to come work with him but i told my mom he creeped me out and she agreed... this was long before he ran for govenor of Idaho
Well he is creepy because he's weird and teenagers judge alot of adults as weird too but I hope you agree that doesn't make him any sort of predator or killer.
Except living a couple streets away from the girls house coupled with his prior sexual assault charge and his ex wife giving testimony of his actions after the girl went missing. Idk a child goes missing, you check the people in the neighborhood who are sex offenders
@@furball192his ex wife only said this years later… did she really think he was involved? Why did she not speak before? There’s a lot of unclear things here, mostly the police’s lack of evidence or information when this is a small community, someone ranked the snow at night out the front that’s not normal and yet all these people didn’t see anything
@@NightShooter87 It’s been a long time since I originally saw this case so I don’t remember all the details and would encourage you to do your own research. There was a mountain of circumstantial evidence against him and I definitely don’t recall all of it but a few highlights were that despite his claims here, he actually didn’t have an alibi, and his trip to CA was most definitely not planned ahead of time. His wife had already shipped Xmas presents to his family and his family was shocked and confused when they showed up. He also had been exiled from the church following the Sexual Assault charges but was known to hang around outside peering into windows during choir practice. His actions and demeanor changed drastically following the disappearance. He had previously had a good relationship and family life but then became distant, spending a lot of time following the case and became short fused, angry and abusive with his family, which is why his son moved out and his wife divorced him. There were a number of other things I don’t recall but he was on the police’s radar as a suspect for a long time (over a decade I believe) before they felt they had enough to prosecute him.
@@phillipsmom6252 no everyone uses internet, there are people who don’t use social media at all. The milk cartons reached tons of people and why not do all we can to find missing kids , not less.
they stopped putting missing children on milk cartons because the threat was largely overblown, was mostly ineffective, had no requirements for what missing meant, was emotionally disturbing to families, and was done mostly for the tax credits
the first trial was declared a mistrial because the jury could not agree on a verdict. At a 2nd trial which obviously took place after this was filmed, hence the update card at the very end of the video, a jury unanimously found him guilty
@@joetj It's not going to answer it because the trial happened after the video was shot. People are forming views on his guilt or innocence without hearing anything about that trial or the evidence presented in it.
Someone close to the family knew she would be home alone. It just seems so random that a stranger would be passing through and and take the opportunity to abduct someone from their home
@annazaman9657 I agree. The friend's dad who dropped Jonelle off that night worked with Steve Pankey at the 7-Up factory. I don't think the dad is involved, I just find that a bit curious. 🤔
@@Nonek214 I would agree it could of been the neighbor...she would of known him and there was no sign of forced entry...he is deceased now bit it makes you wonder
His first reaction to being asked if he'd killed that poor girl was to laugh-a disturbingly unnatural response. Many killers obsess over their own cases, even inserting themselves into investigations. Something is definitely off about this man.
@@Aabb110-x3j Maybe, but a smile in that context still gives off an unsettling vibe. No matter how many times he's been asked, that kind of reaction doesn’t usually come from an innocent person.
It is tragic how long the pain of loss can last. It is heartbreaking and macabre how Jonelle's family held on to hope for so many years. It is hard to believe that after all this time, justice has finally been served and it has not brought her back. My condolences to her loved ones, and I hope they can find peace now. Rest in peace, Jonelle.
I been following 48 hours from South Africa and now from north Africa . I m impressed with work your team does as well as the law enforcement and detectives will done at least they bring some closure to family's
I’m confused, what evidence did they have against him? The only thing here was that his wife said he said a rake was used. I mean i dunno if thats true but you need more evidence than that.
Yes, was his DNA or fingerprints found on the rake or anywhere in the house. Had he ever owned or knew how to use a firearm. Was her DNA found in his car or his found at the burial? I know back the day they didn't have the capability to process DNA and other evidence but we would have that now 37 years layer. I think circumstantial evidence leans towards him... maybe he was an accomplice???
I never took chances with my children . Never left them alone or unattended in public places, akways keeping an eye on them. Because of cases like this one when people are overconfident, you'll never know...Thank God they grew up safely ..
It wasn't like that with this family though. They were a busy family with lots of activities. Each child had an activity that night and there was only going to be one parent on duty. That parent took Jonelle to her activity and dropped her off then went to watch the other child's activity. Jonelle got a ride home with a trusted family friend who dropped her off at her door, watched her walk inside her home, and then waited to make sure she turned on a light to show she was in and safe. Only then did the family friend leave. She was only supposed to be home alone for an hour before the parent came home with the second child. In that one hour Jonelle was kidnapped from her home. This is a very good illustration of parents doing everything right to the best of their ability and still something goes wrong.
I bet they are afraid of their own shadow after being so overprotected. Did you have trouble understanding the video? She was attacked at home. Nice try trying to blame anybody but the person who committex the crime.
@@paganseashellies I agree. How do you instill enough fear into your child without making them scared of everything in life? How do you “prepare” your child to not fall for ANY perpetrator coercion - by telling them every single thing you can think of that a perpetrator might say to lure them away? What about a scenario you didn’t think of? And again: that would be causing so much fear in a child’s head they’d likely not function normally. Some things you simply cannot prevent.
@@charrielyn1231 the guy across the street could have been watching/studying the comings and going’s for a long time. The accused could have found out about the rake from the co-worker dad who dropped the victim off that night.
I dont think theres evidence to make a safe conviction. nowhere near enough. But bizarrely I susect he enjoys the infamy of being the chief suspect. Finally he has the attention he craved.
@@NightShooter87 I didnt say there was. I just think he'll be happy in prison cause he has a captured audience! Plus banks need a break from his rants.
Not a shred of real evidence against Pankey, he has a severe attention-seeking personality. Better suspect was the sex offender who was visiting his family just across the street.
I am certain the neighbor across the street killed Jonelle- opportunity. He probably sat watching TV in front of the window and could see the routine of the Matthews. Once he spotted Jonelle being dropped off by her dad, he took the opportunity to take her. A mother's statement of her son at home is not an alibi. Was he at his mom's house for Christmas, or did he have problems in life that forced him to return to his mother? We need more information about him.
As I recall from other coverage there was more to substantiate his alibi and clear him than just his mother’s word. Also, his convictions were for non-related crimes. Pankey on the other hand had been accused of sexual assault, was exiled from the church and was known to later hang around the church peering through the windows at choir practice. There was much more pointing to him than 48hrs portrayed here. Police had actually been looking at him for this for over a decade as I recall before they finally felt they had enough to bring charges.
@@JamesKroen it’s been a while since I first saw this case but as I said, I believe there was more than just his mother that cleared Drake and Pankey didn’t actually have one. He claims to be home here but as I recall he wasn’t actually home. I think he came home at some point to try to create one but then left again and they believed he had kidnapped her before returning home and then left again to bury her before returning home and packing up his family to head to CA.
The nonchalance way Panky said "A lot of kids disappear" actually turned my stomach: such disregard for a tragic fact of life is something that would put him under my radar straight away. Kids do disappear and it's not something we should ever get used to nor accept! He is a creep
I went to summer camp in Colorado and there was a cabin dedicated to her memory. One year my counselor took us on a night walk. He told us a twisted ghost story about her and when he got to the “punch line,” abruptly shined his flashlight on her picture. I was TERRIFIED of her until a couple of years ago when I actually researched her story. It’s heartbreaking.
Ask for an attorney and if you undertake a lie detector ask for it to be analysed by an independent expert. The police use them as a tool to make you admit to something you have not done
@@mccallosone4903 Your child may be missing and if you know you are innocent you would want to take a lie detector test so the police move on to look for the real offender.
Although its legal, I think parents need to be careful about allowing a child home alone until they reach an age of maturity that they are safe. Safe from opening the door, safe from what to go if there’s a fire, etc. I may have left my son alone too, so I’m not blaming anyone. I just think as a society we have to remember these children’s brains aren’t ready for danger, haven’t had the experience or awareness to be home alone yet.
They absolutely did not have enough evidence to convict him! Just because someone says and does some weird and bizarre things, he is not necessarily a murderer. The neighbor across was a much more likely suspect, and an alibi provided by his mother is not worth much....
Edit: I never looked her up as an adult. When the video came on I had a flashback of seeing her picture as a kid. I'm just now putting two and two together. It's not that deep But I guess you had to be there Good Lord, that's why I recognize her. She dominated my childhood. I had no idea of her story until now. God bless her and her family..
Could you please elaborate on your comment? Thanks. I’m just curious as to whether you knew her as a kid and then lost track of the story as time passed.
What an evil, disgusting, sad excuse for a human. And to be a Youth Pastor at the Church of the Nazerene. Of course, child molestors try to find jobs that put them into positions of trust around and with access to children. It's so sad that it took so long for them to find out what happened to her.
Couldn’t it have been the dad of the friend that dropped her off at home that night? He knew Jonelle was alone & she would unhesitatingly open the door for him if he came back….
Doubt it, and I'm sure the cops looked into it. He would have had to drop his child off first then come back to get Jonelle, which means his family would notice his absence .. though people lie for their loved ones all the time
I think he is ill for sure. I'm not in the medical field but to me it's obvious that the guy is vulnerable.. So so sad for the beautiful little girl whose life was stolen. She's an angel.
He was obviously OBSESSED with the case right from the beginning ! Listen carefully what his ex wife said about it when she spoke as a witness. Before I heard that I was thinking , oh he is a narcissist or attention seeker or whatever similar to that… To hear how he behaved the day after Janelle disappeared… change his mind about tv radio and newspapers. Why ? Obsessed ? Why ? It’s pretty obvious to me WHY he was obsessed .. They can do a timeline of everything he been doing,writing and saying along the years and they will find out the true colors of his actions. Good to know he’s in prison for murdering Jonelle. Namaste 🙏
thats cause it happened near him so its not bizarre to be fascinated by crimes on your doorstep/ I dont know if he is guilty but I dont think they had enough evidence. He is his own worst enemy with that mouth of his. Jail may be a safe space for him.
There's cold cases around where I live where people still talk about them decades later, try not to make mountains out of nothing, doesn't make someone guilty when there is zero evidence.
the fact that the other suspect norris drake was at his relatives house that was directly opposite jonelle matthews home on the same night she dissapeared speaks volumes as for stephen pankey how he was convicted of this crime is beyond me because there's no evidence if they could'nt decide at the first trial then how could they decide at a re-trial??????????
Doesn’t make sense why someone would try to help and then the police come in and put it all on him. And shame on the jury to convict a man on hearsay with no evidence. This should not have gone to trial. I’m not buying this.
There was more than this show lets on. I’ve seen other coverage of this. I can’t remember all the other things that pointed to him but for one, his story about Xmas is total BS. They had already shipped presents to his family and when they showed up his parents were shocked and asked what they were doing there.
LoL he was not trying to help. Did you even watch the episode?! 🤦🏻♀️ He lied about his father-in-law saying he needed to bury a body. He had zero evidence or info to contribute to the case yet kept inserting himself in it plus trying to drag others like the sheriff as well I agree the evidence was not strong enough to convict him, but he definitely implicated himself with his incessant unhinged ramblings
Should have been found not guilty. No where near clearing the shadow of doubt. Also the neighbor Norris would have known Jonelle was home alone and was known to be after girls that age. Pankey wouldn't have even known she was home alone. Whether he threw himself into the situation is irrelevant. Absolutely zero concrete evidence upon which a conviction could be made. Lunacy. The justice system is scary. @@MM-we4no
Weird? Yes. Attention seeker? Definitely. Liar? Absolutely. Powerful? No, but would like to be. Murderer? Maybe. I can't see evidence either for or against it.
Click here to watch more “48 Hours” full episodes: ua-cam.com/play/PLcFHkKbd_jTJiRmfUfLX2Ay_hnf5j3cxH.html
I swear to god, "youth pastor" comes up far too often with sexual assault.
Absolutely.... however he was a janitor....
1 Thessalonians 5:12
12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
access to children being the operative motive.
Pdfiles magnet is the Church because it's full of unsuspecting souls.
I go to Church every Sunday, no absent, i would never have thought that someone would have have satanic mind while worshipping.
At the end of the day, only God knows your heart.
That is beyond easy to explain. Far too many "pastors" are hired not because they clearly have the Spirit of God in their lives, but because they have "the right education/lingo/denomination/"experience from another church"/"reputation in the community"/so forth. Most Denominational churches only care about appearance (both external and superficial stuff), and never really focus on little details. That is the reason why the churches that rarely if ever have that happen are the ones who have very minute/minuscule to absolutely no "obligation to the large organization first" mindset.
*_The perfect example of why that is good is in seeing the most easily thought of proof the reverse is a huge part of the problem: The Roman Catholic Church!! That is the extreme, yes.. but it is the most immediate to define showcase of how internal politics, outward appearance, and "what is best for everyone.. even the pervert himself/herself..." come together to deny the victims any real justice._*
I can understand why Pankey's son didn't want to live with him.
I have to say, Norris Drake appears to be much more likely to be the killer.
@@Ingrafre I do think Pankey has mental illness or personality disorder. I think it manifests in wanting to be involved in the case. I don't think he had anything to do with it.
@@Ingrafrewhat Norris drake?
@@jgunn03 , I agree. And I'm so surprised a jury has found him guilty. That's hard to believe
It was odd that his first reaction was to laugh when asked if he'd murdered that poor girl, that's not a normal response to being asked such a question.
A lot of murderers like to insert themselves into investigations as well as obsessing over media coverage of their murders.
Something is definitely off with this man.
To be honest I am like that I laugh to hide true feelings especially when I am shocked so I wouldn't necessarily judge him but I understand where ur coming from
I thought that very thing and thought there is nothing funny about a child’s death.
You need proof
When are you going to learn that people react differently to a situation than you would. I wouldn't actually consider it a 'laugh' at the crime, it's a laugh at the accusation. You see the interviews with this guy and he is eccentric.
Thats a nervous reaction, and many people respond that way when they are asked uncomfortable questions. I laugh when I am in pain rather than cry, that's also a normal reaction to many people.
Not defending that man, but laughing at that point is a normal reaction.
So many times in cases of a missing or murdered child, the parents end up splitting. Good to see it didnt happen in this case. Rip Janelle.
It’s a beautiful thing that they were able to stay together. I’m sure they have seen some very dark days. My love goes out to Jonelle’s family.
It was nice to see they were able to smile when talking about what Jonelle was like.
It was not their bio child, they didn't care for her
That mother. She loved her daughter immensely. You can tell she is devastated.
You don’t have kids do you. Such an obvious comment.
They did not like her, she was adopted, her entire family could've essentially cared less
@@malcriadamedina5358you don’t know anything about anything bro
@@summer2572 seen plenty of docs about Jonelle, in the other one the sister said they just moved on and never talked about her
@@summer2572 also if you didn't know Jonelle wrote extensively in her diary about wanting to run away and how badly she was treated by her family due to being adopted. At this point it could even be the family
48 hours is the BEST show ever .. every time I see a new episode I'm so giddy with excitement and curiosity....so glad they don't give up... EVERY life matters
Yep. It's the daddy of all True Crime docs in my humble opinion. ❤
Agreed I’m waiting everyday for them to drop new episode
Dateline, also very good
Same here!
And truly criminal..another exceptional channel
Nah, I think this guy Panky is just crazy. He is just ill. The other guy, however, seems to be much more likely as the perpetrator.
True. He was a stranger and the other guy was a familiar face.
For me it's also the main result here. I'm sorry for the family but the state did not go here beyond reasonable doubt. I read at the end that they got the conviction but I hope that they had more proof that what was shown here
Agree! He is a nutter but I don’t think he is the killer 🤷♀️
I agree 110% I came looking for this comment.
@@superwoman6413 I can't believe they convicted him and on what? No physical evidence what-so-ever. Just a lot of innuendo and speculation which is why the first jury was deadlocked. I think he might have rubbed someone in the local government there the wrong way. No prosecutor in their right mind would take this to trial based on the little 'evidence' they had if it wasn't some kind of personal vendetta.
May her soul rest in eternal peace.
❤
well since she died so young, God will take her to Heaven with no Judgment, and she will be rewarded dearly. Thank God.
You do that kind of cruelty to a dog, you are capable of anything. What a piece of garbage.
Not just a dog, but any animal, cows, chickens, deer, etc.
@@HolisticManifestingnot true bc deer is hunting . not your domesticated pet 😂idk what your on about
Helemaal waar hij heeft het gedaan.Irma Serne’
🙄
@@HolisticManifesting Definitely!
This dude straight up put himself in prison
Even though I'm pretty sure Norris Drake was the killer.
his mouth was the smoking gun
I don’t know whether he’s innocent or guilty but I can’t see what evidence they have against Pankey. Speaking as a psychotherapist he comes across as somewhat on the autistic scale.
@@dragonmummy1 his guilt was seeping out of him since it happened. Its just hard to prove except the astronomical amount of things he said and did that was just "weird" such as he did interject himself into the case, what his ex wife said he did, ect. Plus, I bet he confessed at some point. He is def guilty & exactly why he is in jail, imo
Dude wanted the spotlight without the repercussions
Without any experience with law enforcement, besides being arrested 😂😂
😂
😂
Hankey Pankey 🤯
😂
This was a weird one, and unsatisfying. That guy is fcking nuts but im not convinced he did it 🤷
Agree
An attorney said one time if you're not guilty, don't make yourself look guilty.
it's so much perception
Exactly
I mean, really that's impossible. My forensics professor said that forensics 101 is, there is no guilty appearance, there is no innocent reaction. Only in hindsight can you conclude someone's reactions equate to a guilty conscious or not. False confessions are just an example of such things. Same as how people react to horrible news differently.
Stupidest most absurd "advice" to give. People are naturally nervous when placed in a situation where they're being questioned by law enforcement or anyone related to judicial departments.
I remember when she was abducted. Her story was all over the news in Denver. She was the same age as me. Rip 🪦 sweet girl.
I was 16 living in Denver metro and remember her, too. When I saw the name on this video it was like seeing the name of an old friend from my ancient past! She was the same age as my little sister.
What a lovely comment 💖 I’m from Scotland so hadn’t heard of this case. Jonelle’s dad was like a powerhouse of love for his little girl. Of course we won’t know for sure if Panky IS the murderer of this young lass, but he repeatedly placed himself there through his words, so guilty or not, he will certainly have the rest of his life to reflect on his bizarre behaviour.
I don’t know. Such a sad story. Extremely weird guy. But he was convicted without evidence in my opinion. The whole thing just doesn’t make sense.
He wasn't convicted thankfully. Or is there an update? OMG there was a second trial in 22 and he was convicted. I don't believe it ,well I do. I don't believe he's guilty and hopefully there's a successful appeal.
I agree. There was no evidence and to base on his ex wife.... Just shows...keep your mouth shut.... That poor family though. At least she got a place to rest in peace 😢🙏🕊️ so heartbreaking especially if he didn't do it and the killer got away and an innocent man went to jail and a babygirl lost her life.... My God😮😢😢😮😢
@@Marie.b yea I saw that he was eventually convicted. Unless they had new evidence, the things they had stated in this video were not enough to convict him. There are too many innocent people in jail. We shouldn’t convict people just based on feelings and them being weird. I know they wanted to get justice for the family. But it needs to be done right. He seems very troubled too.
@@DanielleRitchie-r9h right! That’s what I’m thinking too. Get the proper evidence but without it, it’s not fair he is being sentenced based on him being weird and feelings towards his weird behavior.
@1kimkia agree 100%. I'm thinking of people with autism or even ADHD. People perceive their behaviours as 'weird' sometimes. How easy it could be for them to be wrongly convicted.
An attention seeking oddball but I don't believe he is the killer. Norris Drake sounds way more plausible in my opinion.
That was my exact take!
Too much "hearsay" wittnesses testimonies
He lived right across the street, and I get DNA evidence was not used in trial, but DNA evidence and footprint ( or partial ), and fingerprints have been collected for decades. Just seems like shoddy detective work.
Exactly! Norris Drake looks like that kind of guy!
@@larasilva366From what I read, there was no DNA or fingerprint evidence found in Jonelle's home.Her body had been buried for too long for foreign DNA to be found.
I kept expecting there to be some convincing evidence of his guilt, but it never came. It was his ex-wife's word against his. He knew about the raked snow.... could have been leaked by police over the years. He was cruel to his dog. He was weird and unpleasant. His first reaction when asked if he murdered her was to laugh. That makes him look suspicious. but it's nowhere NEAR enough for a safe conviction. I hope they convicted him on more than that.
yeah, i think dudes crazy, but not killer crazy. it was the guy across the street
This! ❤
I agree. I can't believe they convicted him.
Agree
I agree. And the duct taping of the dog may have just been a threat and the tale got bigger through the years
I don’t think he did it. Not enough evidence. We shouldn’t be convicting people without enough evidence. A creep yes a murderer not sure.
Many locals agree
cops act defensive why?
This is where I'm kinda at? I'm baffled that his defense didn't do mental health eval AND THEN put him on the stand.
There is enough circumstantial evidence to prove his guilt. He had prior sexual assault charges and he had no alibi, a witness, his ex wife said how he acted after the girl went missing. He knew things only police and killer knew
@@furball192the same points you raise could be made against Drake - the guy who had come to stay across the street with his mum & sister. So no, the evidence is not enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt
Marginally annoyed that this is more about Pankey than Jonelle.
Glad I’m not the only one
Well, she hadn’t lived as long.
It’s probably so we can be aware of what a killer can look like 🤷🏻♀️
Yeah there needs more evidence, not clear why they dropped looking into the other guy just because his mother said she was there
There wasn't much they could say about her. This was before cellphone videos and social media, so snapshots and school photos and recollections by parents and school friends are all they have.
How they had enough to charge this guy in the first place is kind of surprising.
Yes I kept waiting for a big surprise. And after 37 years tales get bigger....
What a bizarre case and for one, I can't make out whether he's guilty or not. At first I thought he was a pompous try-hard but there are some indications that someone wouldn't know that easily, unless they've been involved. Either way, he is such a creep and I hope the family will be able to move on after so many years of agony.
The family's pain is so fresh, it's heartbreaking.
Cases like these hit different when you're a parent.
My deepest condolences...
"It may or may not have something to do with the Janelle case"...well that's a strange statement.
No sense at all. The girl was shot and buried, this takes time, tools, a fire arm and get dirty. His wife did not notice any of this things? No, just the decision of a lunatic to go to California for Christmas.
According to the 2020 indictment statement, shortly following their return to Greeley, Pankey started digging in their yard. At about that time, a car stored on their property caught fire and the burned car "was disposed of at a salvage yard".
I live in idaho and i met Steve Pankey when he lived in Shoshone Idaho.. i was supposed to go work with him cleaning Dr Davis's office after hours..
He creeped me out to much for me to accept the job.. Steve Pankey very much wanted me to come work with him but i told my mom he creeped me out and she agreed... this was long before he ran for govenor of Idaho
Well he is creepy because he's weird and teenagers judge alot of adults as weird too but I hope you agree that doesn't make him any sort of predator or killer.
*too
@@Marie.b
She can offer her gut feeling.
I’m glad you trusted your gut & your mom backed you up. At a minimum, no one needs to be uncomfortable.
Watching this episode was very draining. I feel like Mr Pankey truly enjoys talking with enforcement and wasting value time.
I agree. I think he's one of those.
Dude is bizarre and attention seeking af, but not much puts him there.
Except living a couple streets away from the girls house coupled with his prior sexual assault charge and his ex wife giving testimony of his actions after the girl went missing. Idk a child goes missing, you check the people in the neighborhood who are sex offenders
@@furball192 I wouldn't give much credence to what his ex-wife testified to. Bitterness is what I saw that as.
@@furball192his ex wife only said this years later… did she really think he was involved? Why did she not speak before? There’s a lot of unclear things here, mostly the police’s lack of evidence or information when this is a small community, someone ranked the snow at night out the front that’s not normal and yet all these people didn’t see anything
I feel that they're spending all their resources on a mentally ill man while the real killer has walked free for nearly 40 years.
They got the right guy. There is a lot more information available on this case than is shown by 48hrs.
I think your right.
@@andrewnajarian5994 Why don't you educate us?
@@NightShooter87 It’s been a long time since I originally saw this case so I don’t remember all the details and would encourage you to do your own research. There was a mountain of circumstantial evidence against him and I definitely don’t recall all of it but a few highlights were that despite his claims here, he actually didn’t have an alibi, and his trip to CA was most definitely not planned ahead of time. His wife had already shipped Xmas presents to his family and his family was shocked and confused when they showed up. He also had been exiled from the church following the Sexual Assault charges but was known to hang around outside peering into windows during choir practice. His actions and demeanor changed drastically following the disappearance. He had previously had a good relationship and family life but then became distant, spending a lot of time following the case and became short fused, angry and abusive with his family, which is why his son moved out and his wife divorced him. There were a number of other things I don’t recall but he was on the police’s radar as a suspect for a long time (over a decade I believe) before they felt they had enough to prosecute him.
Good thing his first name Wasn't Hank....
😂
😂
Yeah I was thinking that too😅😅😅
I'm ded lol
I kept thinking of this, too! I'm sure kids im school must have called him Hanky!
I never trust anyone who claims to be a “strong adherent” to organized religion.
Why don’t they put missing kids pictures on milk cartons any more?
That or carton of eggs, on bags of chips. Anything.
It would probably offend someone!!
No more milk cartons because of the internet and Amber Alert’s.
@@phillipsmom6252 no everyone uses internet, there are people who don’t use social media at all. The milk cartons reached tons of people and why not do all we can to find missing kids , not less.
they stopped putting missing children on milk cartons because the threat was largely overblown, was mostly ineffective, had no requirements for what missing meant, was emotionally disturbing to families, and was done mostly for the tax credits
What a weird guy. I also need more insight on how it was a mistrial but later he was found guilty without evidence
the first trial was declared a mistrial because the jury could not agree on a verdict. At a 2nd trial which obviously took place after this was filmed, hence the update card at the very end of the video, a jury unanimously found him guilty
@lauracamilleri2072 that still didn't answer the question of how they found him guilty without evidence, but thanks
@@joetj It's not going to answer it because the trial happened after the video was shot. People are forming views on his guilt or innocence without hearing anything about that trial or the evidence presented in it.
@SloverOfTeuth oh ok thank you
Watching from Malawi 🇲🇼,,thank you so much for the work that u do,, giving us stories back to back ❤❤
ndimaona ngati ndine ndekha wa ku Malawi ndimakhala panotu 😁
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Hehe tilipo angapo eti
@BJ_believe inde inde
Kubhebhesa😂😂😂
Someone close to the family knew she would be home alone. It just seems so random that a stranger would be passing through and and take the opportunity to abduct someone from their home
The neighbour
@Nonek214 could be
@annazaman9657 I agree.
The friend's dad who dropped Jonelle off that night worked with Steve Pankey at the 7-Up factory. I don't think the dad is involved, I just find that a bit curious. 🤔
@@Nonek214 I would agree it could of been the neighbor...she would of known him and there was no sign of forced entry...he is deceased now bit it makes you wonder
Really now? He could have been surveying the place for a while. Maybe it still would have been another victim
What a evil dumb dumb… If he would’ve never called the cops he would’ve never even been a suspect. Thankfully he couldn’t keep his mouth shut…
Right?! Attention-seeking so much. What a goof.
His conscious was pricking at him
Why was he evil?
As is the case with most narcissists... who think they are the smartest person in the room, and usually incriminate themself.
If he had* not if he would have, and never would've* not would've never. Thank you Mrs. Butler my 5th grade English teacher.
His first reaction to being asked if he'd killed that poor girl was to laugh-a disturbingly unnatural response. Many killers obsess over their own cases, even inserting themselves into investigations.
Something is definitely off about this man.
It's not unnatural if he had been asked that question a thousand times before.
@@Aabb110-x3j Maybe, but a smile in that context still gives off an unsettling vibe. No matter how many times he's been asked, that kind of reaction doesn’t usually come from an innocent person.
Something is "off" alright, but that doesn't mean he killed anyone
@@Aabb110-x3jsame as I thought. He's probably been asked so many times
It is tragic how long the pain of loss can last. It is heartbreaking and macabre how Jonelle's family held on to hope for so many years. It is hard to believe that after all this time, justice has finally been served and it has not brought her back. My condolences to her loved ones, and I hope they can find peace now. Rest in peace, Jonelle.
I been following 48 hours from South Africa and now from north Africa . I m impressed with work your team does as well as the law enforcement and detectives will done at least they bring some closure to family's
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I’m confused, what evidence did they have against him? The only thing here was that his wife said he said a rake was used. I mean i dunno if thats true but you need more evidence than that.
Yes, was his DNA or fingerprints found on the rake or anywhere in the house. Had he ever owned or knew how to use a firearm. Was her DNA found in his car or his found at the burial? I know back the day they didn't have the capability to process DNA and other evidence but we would have that now 37 years layer. I think circumstantial evidence leans towards him... maybe he was an accomplice???
I never took chances with my children . Never left them alone or unattended in public places, akways keeping an eye on them. Because of cases like this one when people are overconfident, you'll never know...Thank God they grew up safely ..
Jonelle wasn't in a public place, she disappeared from inside her home
It wasn't like that with this family though. They were a busy family with lots of activities. Each child had an activity that night and there was only going to be one parent on duty. That parent took Jonelle to her activity and dropped her off then went to watch the other child's activity. Jonelle got a ride home with a trusted family friend who dropped her off at her door, watched her walk inside her home, and then waited to make sure she turned on a light to show she was in and safe. Only then did the family friend leave. She was only supposed to be home alone for an hour before the parent came home with the second child. In that one hour Jonelle was kidnapped from her home. This is a very good illustration of parents doing everything right to the best of their ability and still something goes wrong.
I bet they are afraid of their own shadow after being so overprotected.
Did you have trouble understanding the video? She was attacked at home. Nice try trying to blame anybody but the person who committex the crime.
@@paganseashellies
I agree. How do you instill enough fear into your child without making them scared of everything in life? How do you “prepare” your child to not fall for ANY perpetrator coercion - by telling them every single thing you can think of that a perpetrator might say to lure them away? What about a scenario you didn’t think of? And again: that would be causing so much fear in a child’s head they’d likely not function normally. Some things you simply cannot prevent.
@@charrielyn1231 the guy across the street could have been watching/studying the comings and going’s for a long time. The accused could have found out about the rake from the co-worker dad who dropped the victim off that night.
Id want to hurt Panky if i was forced to listen to him endlessly talk. Id be the juror having an absolute melt down over his crap. 😂😂😂😂😂
Had he shut his mouth, he would still be free!
I almost think everyone agrees that even if this guy is not guilty it's good for him to be in jail!
No
Yes, but I believe he DID do it.
I dont think theres evidence to make a safe conviction. nowhere near enough. But bizarrely I susect he enjoys the infamy of being the chief suspect. Finally he has the attention he craved.
@@scooter2501 But there is no evidence of guilt. There is no law that states, you should be in prison because you have a Walter Mitty personality.
@@NightShooter87 I didnt say there was. I just think he'll be happy in prison cause he has a captured audience! Plus banks need a break from his rants.
Not a shred of real evidence against Pankey, he has a severe attention-seeking personality. Better suspect was the sex offender who was visiting his family just across the street.
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Same🇿🇦
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Hello! Moving back soon! See you there!
I am certain the neighbor across the street killed Jonelle- opportunity. He probably sat watching TV in front of the window and could see the routine of the Matthews. Once he spotted Jonelle being dropped off by her dad, he took the opportunity to take her.
A mother's statement of her son at home is not an alibi.
Was he at his mom's house for Christmas, or did he have problems in life that forced him to return to his mother?
We need more information about him.
I'm leaning that way too.
The aliby is bogus
i concur...
As I recall from other coverage there was more to substantiate his alibi and clear him than just his mother’s word. Also, his convictions were for non-related crimes. Pankey on the other hand had been accused of sexual assault, was exiled from the church and was known to later hang around the church peering through the windows at choir practice. There was much more pointing to him than 48hrs portrayed here. Police had actually been looking at him for this for over a decade as I recall before they finally felt they had enough to bring charges.
@@JamesKroen it’s been a while since I first saw this case but as I said, I believe there was more than just his mother that cleared Drake and Pankey didn’t actually have one. He claims to be home here but as I recall he wasn’t actually home. I think he came home at some point to try to create one but then left again and they believed he had kidnapped her before returning home and then left again to bury her before returning home and packing up his family to head to CA.
@@andrewnajarian5994wow, that would be a reason to search his place in 2019. I could not figure out why they jumped to him.
Shame on his wife for keeping this information for so long
She was a month older than me ... RIP Jonelle
Good morning 48hour fam! Have a wonderful Tuesday
Lemon, it's Wednesday
It's a miracle they stayed married. Glad they have had each other all this awful time.
Evil is EVERYWHERE…. Take precautions 👀
The nonchalance way Panky said "A lot of kids disappear" actually turned my stomach: such disregard for a tragic fact of life is something that would put him under my radar straight away.
Kids do disappear and it's not something we should ever get used to nor accept!
He is a creep
I went to summer camp in Colorado and there was a cabin dedicated to her memory. One year my counselor took us on a night walk. He told us a twisted ghost story about her and when he got to the “punch line,” abruptly shined his flashlight on her picture. I was TERRIFIED of her until a couple of years ago when I actually researched her story. It’s heartbreaking.
He sounds suspicious
Who thinks it was the guy across the street? ✌️👍✌️
Ask for an attorney and if you undertake a lie detector ask for it to be analysed by an independent expert. The police use them as a tool to make you admit to something you have not done
Just don't take a lie detector test at all. They are unreliable pseudo-science. It's modern day phrenology.
wrong...never ever take a lie detector test, period. but youre right about asking for an attorney
@@mccallosone4903 Your child may be missing and if you know you are innocent you would want to take a lie detector test so the police move on to look for the real offender.
Although its legal, I think parents need to be careful about allowing a child home alone until they reach an age of maturity that they are safe. Safe from opening the door, safe from what to go if there’s a fire, etc. I may have left my son alone too, so I’m not blaming anyone. I just think as a society we have to remember these children’s brains aren’t ready for danger, haven’t had the experience or awareness to be home alone yet.
She was 12. I was babysitting other people’s children at that age.
Not only she was 12. We are talking about 84. We were more mature for responsibilities at that time than a 12 year old now.
Good evening 48 hours from Kenya ❤
Good morning!
Evening to you my fellow Kenyan 😅
Goodevening watu wa zakayo😂😂
Does Kenya have many unsolved murders?
When the lawyer is more shifty than his client.
😂😂 lol yes very timid man
They absolutely did not have enough evidence to convict him! Just because someone says and does some weird and bizarre things, he is not necessarily a murderer. The neighbor across was a much more likely suspect, and an alibi provided by his mother is not worth much....
100% correct
Hello from KENYA
umefika aje mbele yangu?
Mko huku pia nyinyi 😅
Panky's lawyer is gross the way he tries to downplay who this man is.
That's what defense attorneys are paid to do.
At least Jonelle’s body was found so there is some closure 😢
Her poor parents. How do you carry on not knowing where one of your children has gone to.....for decades. Just awful
Demented con-men are actually doing quite well when it comes to politics.
Crazy right? I mean the current president Biden has dementia and it’s really awful how they keep putting him out there.
😢😢😢
There wasn’t enough physical evidence to condemn Steve Panky.
Watching from Philippines ❤❤❤
Edit: I never looked her up as an adult. When the video came on I had a flashback of seeing her picture as a kid. I'm just now putting two and two together. It's not that deep But I guess you had to be there
Good Lord, that's why I recognize her. She dominated my childhood. I had no idea of her story until now. God bless her and her family..
She dominated your childhood but you didn't know her story?
Could you please elaborate on your comment? Thanks. I’m just curious as to whether you knew her as a kid and then lost track of the story as time passed.
I don't get it
Weird comment.
I think what she means is she saw the picture everywhere as a child but never really knew the story and now she can put it all together.
Watching from the beautiful islands of Samoa 🇼🇸
Just because someone is mentally ill doesn’t make them innocent.
or guilty
@@JustPlainSteve5372exactly
Or vice versa
He’s so odd
Poor family...🙏😭♥️❤️🩹💔🙏
The thought of those capable of those that kills innocent children,freaks me out,,,like WHY?
REST IN PEACE BEAUTIFUL JONELLE🙏🏻
Bonjour merci beaucoup pour le travail que vous faîtes.
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"At home with his wife and child." Always a reliable alibi.
You do not have to prove a motive in order to get a conviction. His defence attorney should know that.
But what physical evidence do they have against him?
Steve did it
HELLO THERE 🤗🤗 FROM #DETROIT
One thing is crystal clear. The Lord knows. You can't outrun eternity
Amen !
This is always painful. To all victims and their families. Justice for all.
What an evil, disgusting, sad excuse for a human. And to be a Youth Pastor at the Church of the Nazerene. Of course, child molestors try to find jobs that put them into positions of trust around and with access to children. It's so sad that it took so long for them to find out what happened to her.
This story is so confusing ,i will have to watch again
Yes, 2 suspects for sure, and maybe even the father :((
Too much time?
Hello watching from phillipines this is the best i alwaya watched everyday , everyday waiting for new upload
🙏🏻 Rest Easy Sweet Angel ❤
Couldn’t it have been the dad of the friend that dropped her off at home that night? He knew Jonelle was alone & she would unhesitatingly open the door for him if he came back….
…many crimes are crimes of opportunity.
Doubt it, and I'm sure the cops looked into it. He would have had to drop his child off first then come back to get Jonelle, which means his family would notice his absence .. though people lie for their loved ones all the time
I think he is ill for sure. I'm not in the medical field but to me it's obvious that the guy is vulnerable.. So so sad for the beautiful little girl whose life was stolen. She's an angel.
Panky reminds me of the man out of The Lovely Bones (the book)
He was obviously OBSESSED with the case right from the beginning !
Listen carefully what his ex wife said about it when she spoke as a witness.
Before I heard that I was thinking , oh he is a narcissist or attention seeker or whatever similar to that…
To hear how he behaved the day after Janelle disappeared… change his mind about tv radio and newspapers.
Why ?
Obsessed ? Why ?
It’s pretty obvious to me WHY he was obsessed ..
They can do a timeline of everything he been doing,writing and saying along the years and they will find out the true colors of his actions.
Good to know he’s in prison for murdering Jonelle.
Namaste 🙏
thats cause it happened near him so its not bizarre to be fascinated by crimes on your doorstep/ I dont know if he is guilty but I dont think they had enough evidence. He is his own worst enemy with that mouth of his. Jail may be a safe space for him.
There's cold cases around where I live where people still talk about them decades later, try not to make mountains out of nothing, doesn't make someone guilty when there is zero evidence.
I love the way they tell you the whole story before the opening credits even start. 😏
This guy. Omg. Why call the cops?? What did he suddenly "know" that prompted a whole thing!!???? #hankypanky
I have to say, the defense's idea that it was the guy living across the street would put a smidgeon of doubt in my mind.
the fact that the other suspect norris drake was at his relatives house that was directly opposite jonelle matthews home on the same night she dissapeared speaks volumes as for stephen pankey how he was convicted of this crime is beyond me because there's no evidence if they could'nt decide at the first trial then how could they decide at a re-trial??????????
Doesn’t make sense why someone would try to help and then the police come in and put it all on him. And shame on the jury to convict a man on hearsay with no evidence. This should not have gone to trial. I’m not buying this.
There was more than this show lets on. I’ve seen other coverage of this. I can’t remember all the other things that pointed to him but for one, his story about Xmas is total BS. They had already shipped presents to his family and when they showed up his parents were shocked and asked what they were doing there.
LoL he was not trying to help. Did you even watch the episode?! 🤦🏻♀️
He lied about his father-in-law saying he needed to bury a body. He had zero evidence or info to contribute to the case yet kept inserting himself in it plus trying to drag others like the sheriff as well
I agree the evidence was not strong enough to convict him, but he definitely implicated himself with his incessant unhinged ramblings
Should have been found not guilty. No where near clearing the shadow of doubt. Also the neighbor Norris would have known Jonelle was home alone and was known to be after girls that age. Pankey wouldn't have even known she was home alone. Whether he threw himself into the situation is irrelevant. Absolutely zero concrete evidence upon which a conviction could be made. Lunacy. The justice system is scary. @@MM-we4no
He weirded himself into an arrest.
Steven is an weird attention seeking murderer!
Weird? Yes.
Attention seeker? Definitely.
Liar? Absolutely.
Powerful? No, but would like to be.
Murderer? Maybe.
I can't see evidence either for or against it.
Born and raised in Greeley, this story gets me every time 😢