Pro-life Republican charged in cold-case murder

[Wicked Blue]

Source: Raw Story

October 14, 2020
By Travis Gettys

A failed Idaho gubernatorial candidate was charged in the 1984 murder of a 12-year-old girl.

Steve Pankey, a 2014 Constitution Party candidate for governor who also ran in the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary in 2018, was taken into custody Monday on two first-degree murder charges, two violent crime charges and one second-degree kidnapping charge, reported KTVB-TV.

The perennial candidate became a suspect last year in the disappearance of Jonelle Matthews after her body was discovered at an oil and gas site home in Weld County, Colorado.

...

The 69-year-old Pankey, who promised during his 2018 campaign to “defund abortion” from the state budget and “return Idaho to the God of the Bible and Constitutional principles,” lived about two miles from the Matthews home and had attended the same church as them around 1978.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/2020/10/pro-life-republican-charged-in-cold-case/

[Sherman A1]

1. hardly a surprise

they are simply pro-birth and more importantly pro-control over women and their bodies.

[The Magistrate]

2. Sounds About Right, Ma'am

Most moral crusaders are themselves exactly what they denounce at heart, so it is only to be expected someone caterwauling about 'evil women killing babies' turns up a murderous pedophile.

[Wicked Blue]

4. Projection and hypocrisy

It's what republicans do best

[Mike 03]

3. This is a disgusting crime.

After almost 35 years, 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 40.239848°N 104.602514°W, about 15 mi (24 km) southeast of Jonelle's home. Based on DNA evidence, the Weld County Coroner’s Office positively identified the remains as being Jonelle Matthews.[15][16] As of July 29, 2019 the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has not released any information about how Matthews' cause of death, but have stated that the case is being treated as a homicide. Authorities are searching historical records to determine who owned or lived on the land where the remains were found.[17]

On September 13, 2019, Greeley Police Department announced a "person of interest" in Jonelle Matthews' abduction and murder: Steve Pankey, a former Greely resident who ran for governor in Idaho in 2014 and 2018, and for lieutenant governor in 2010. His home in Colorado was searched under a warrant that stated investigators had probable cause to believe that Pankey abducted and murdered the girl that night. Pankey and his former wife lived only 2 miles away from the Matthews home where Jonelle was last seen. Pankey had also been a youth pastor at the church the Matthews family attended. Greeley Police Commander Roy Smith stated that Pankey “had made repeated efforts to speak with detectives” about the Matthews case. But after detectives traveled to Twin Falls, Idaho on August 15, 2019, Pankey refused to answer questions. Commander Smith stated Pankey has not been charged with Jonelle’s murder, but he is being investigated in relation to her death.[18][19]

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Jonelle_Matthews

Not knowing motive (but I can venture an educated guess), it might be reasonable to suggest that authorities look into other cold cases involving children in this age group in the area, and elsewhere that Pankey lived, since in cases of crimes like this, there are often others. Somebody doesn't just wake up one morning and decide to commit a crime like this for the first time. Usually there are prior indications and subsequent attempts.

[Wicked Blue]

5. Your last point sounds well worth exploring

I hope it's being investigated.

His own son was murdered in 2008 according to the Raw Story article.

"His ex-wife also recalled an odd statement Pankey made in 2008, at the funeral for his son, who had been murdered."
“I hope God didn’t allow this to happen because of Jonelle Matthews,” Pankey said, according to the indictment."

[Miguelito Loveless]

14. You know, this really says something about the "god" they worship

He stood by and watched the man kill a 12 year-old girl. Then waited decades to kill his son.

[KWR65]

6. He was a member the wacky constitution party.

[58Sunliner]

7. Accused of date rape as well as other crimes. Records are not online apparently.

In 1977, when he was 26, he was accused of what he called “date rape” by a 23-year-old woman he was seeing.

He maintains the sex was consensual. He was criminally charged, but the charge was later dismissed by prosecutors.

He said he was charged over his years in Colorado with as many as 20 other “arbitrary” misdemeanors, such as battery and harassment by phone, and went to trial multiple times. He said he “won” all the trials.

https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/crime/article234982707.html
Looks like a rapist/stalker and maybe a child molester and killer. His son was murdered as well. I wonder who did that. The son and ex-wife were supposed to be his alibi for the time of the disappearance of the murdered girl. No wonder he is a republican.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

11. He went to trial multiple times?

I'm speechless.

[riversedge]

8. There is a long list of things he said over the years that lead to his arrest.

Glad they finally made the arrest.

[lagomorph777]

9. Steve "Hanky" Pankey reveals the true meaning of the "Pro-Life" lie.

[Faux pas]

10. They're

all predators in one form or another. Predators, hypocrites and assholes. Oh my.

[generalbetrayus]

12. More extended reporting than Raw Story.

http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODN/DenverPost/default.aspx

[Oscarthegreat]

13. For crying outtloud

is born to a poor mom is born they can't get as far away as possible fast enough. You are glorifying bad, misogynistic, cruel and dark-age oriented people when you label them as Pro-Life.

[LiberalLovinLug]

15. Let me guess, like most all "pro-lifers" he's also pro Death Penalty

What's good for the goose......

[Initech]

16. Man Bill Hicks was right.

The further to the right someone is, the more likely they are to be hiding a deep, dark secret.

[Joinfortmill]

17. Lucid, but insane.