Steven Pankey ran for governor as nominee of the Constitution Party in 2014. The Southern Poverty Law Center calls the Constitution Party the most extreme right party in the U.S. In 2018, he ran in the 2018 Republican fubernatorial primary. He lost. Two years later, in 2020, he was charged with the kidnapping and murder of a twelve-year-old girl. In November, 2022, he was convicted.
Jonelle Matthews was just twelve in 1984 when she was dropped off near her home. She was never seen again. Steve Pankey and his wife were neighbors. He claimed to be home with his wife that night and they left to visit relatives in California the day after the murder. Nonetheless, he was one of the suspects in her disappearance.
He and his wife moved on from Colorado, eventually settling in Idaho. Over the next 35 years, Pankey followed the investigation. Another suspect died in 2007 and the investigation slowly turned toward Pankey. They named him a person of interest in 2018 when he was running in the Republican primary. In 2019, a construction crew found her body. She had been shot in the head.
The prosecution did not have physical evidence. They had the lies Pankey had told them and his consistent inserting himself into the investigation over the years and the offer he made to tell them about her murder in exchange for immunity, an offer made before her body was found. A mistrial was declared in Pankey’s first trial when the jury could not agree on a verdict. The did convict him of making false statements to the police
He was tried again and in November, 2022, he was convicted of kidnapping and felony murder and acquitted of premeditated murder. He was sentenced to life with parole. Given that he was 71 when sentenced, parole seems unlikely.
- Idaho Statesman: He’s ran twice for governor of Idaho. He’s just been convicted of murdering a Colorado girl
- The Gazette: Steven Pankey convicted of kidnapping, felony murder in Jonelle Matthews’ 1984 disappearance
