Niner
Long time Websleuther
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2003
- Messages
- 87,517
- Reaction score
- 295,194
Friday, August 26th:
*Motions Hearing (@ 9am MT) – CO – Jonelle Renee Matthews (12) (went missing on Dec 20, 1984 after entering her home at 8pm, Greeley, found July 23, 2019 by construction workers at an oil & gas site in rural part of Weld County near County Road 49 & County Road 34½) – *Steven Dana Pankey (33 @ time of crime/69/now 71) indicted (10/9/20), arrested & charged (10/12/20 in Meridian, ID.) with 1st degree murder after deliberation, 1st degree felony murder, 2nd degree kidnapping, with sentence enhancers for using a weapon in a violent crime & 2 counts of crime of violence. Plead not guilty. $5M cash-only bond. Bond reduction denied (11/8/21).
Trial began on 10/12/21 & ended on 11/2/21. Have 12 jurors & 3 alternates. 10/14/21: Judge excuses a juror for inattentive behavior. Now 12 jurors & 2 alternates. Jury selection from 10/7/21 to 10/8/21. 11/2/21: Jurors deliberated for ~5 hours. 11/3/21: Jurors deliberated for ~7 ½ hours. 11/4/21: Jurors deliberated for ~5 ½ hours. Total deliberations: 18 hours. Mistrial declared for counts 1 thru 3. Guilty on count 4, false reporting to authorities.
Re-Trial set to begin on 10/4/22. (thru 11/4/22) all @ 8:30a
Info on warrant & court info from 8/18/20 thru 9/30/21 & Jury selection (Day 1-3) 10/6/21-10/8/21 & Trial (Day 1-15) 10/12/21-11/2/21 & Jury deliberations (Day 3/Trial Day 19) 11/4/21 thru 11/8/21 & 11/17/21 thru 2/8/21 & thru 5/3/22 reference post #153 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...eeley-20-dec-1984-arrest-2020-2.595001/page-8
5/12/22 Update: Attorney James Merson last week asked Judge Timothy Kerns for a Bergurud hearing to determine if there was sufficient conflict requiring defendant Steve Pankey to seek a new attorney or represent himself. Merson then said issues over the past month led him to request the hearing but didn’t go into further detail about the issues. Following a closed hearing Thursday, Pankey’s court-appointed attorneys, Merson & Eric Zale, were dismissed. The dismissal is the third departure of Pankey’s defense teams. 5/18/22 update: Two attorneys—Jessica Brazil & Peter Harris have been appointed to represent Pankey.
6/3/22 Update: Pankey appeared in court Friday afternoon with two newly appointed attorneys. Brazil said they’re working diligently to review the substantial amount of evidence in the case but weren’t ready to proceed. She requested a due date of July 15 to file motions, to get the maximum amount of time to review the evidence. A full-day motions hearing is scheduled for 9am 8/12/22 & 8/26 & pretrial readiness conference hearing on 9/20 & trial set to begin on 10/4/22 thru 11/4/22.
8/5/22 Update: Motions hearing on 8/12/22 has been cancelled. Next motions hearing on 8/26/22.
*Motions Hearing (@ 9am MT) – CO – Jonelle Renee Matthews (12) (went missing on Dec 20, 1984 after entering her home at 8pm, Greeley, found July 23, 2019 by construction workers at an oil & gas site in rural part of Weld County near County Road 49 & County Road 34½) – *Steven Dana Pankey (33 @ time of crime/69/now 71) indicted (10/9/20), arrested & charged (10/12/20 in Meridian, ID.) with 1st degree murder after deliberation, 1st degree felony murder, 2nd degree kidnapping, with sentence enhancers for using a weapon in a violent crime & 2 counts of crime of violence. Plead not guilty. $5M cash-only bond. Bond reduction denied (11/8/21).
Trial began on 10/12/21 & ended on 11/2/21. Have 12 jurors & 3 alternates. 10/14/21: Judge excuses a juror for inattentive behavior. Now 12 jurors & 2 alternates. Jury selection from 10/7/21 to 10/8/21. 11/2/21: Jurors deliberated for ~5 hours. 11/3/21: Jurors deliberated for ~7 ½ hours. 11/4/21: Jurors deliberated for ~5 ½ hours. Total deliberations: 18 hours. Mistrial declared for counts 1 thru 3. Guilty on count 4, false reporting to authorities.
Re-Trial set to begin on 10/4/22. (thru 11/4/22) all @ 8:30a
Info on warrant & court info from 8/18/20 thru 9/30/21 & Jury selection (Day 1-3) 10/6/21-10/8/21 & Trial (Day 1-15) 10/12/21-11/2/21 & Jury deliberations (Day 3/Trial Day 19) 11/4/21 thru 11/8/21 & 11/17/21 thru 2/8/21 & thru 5/3/22 reference post #153 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...eeley-20-dec-1984-arrest-2020-2.595001/page-8
5/12/22 Update: Attorney James Merson last week asked Judge Timothy Kerns for a Bergurud hearing to determine if there was sufficient conflict requiring defendant Steve Pankey to seek a new attorney or represent himself. Merson then said issues over the past month led him to request the hearing but didn’t go into further detail about the issues. Following a closed hearing Thursday, Pankey’s court-appointed attorneys, Merson & Eric Zale, were dismissed. The dismissal is the third departure of Pankey’s defense teams. 5/18/22 update: Two attorneys—Jessica Brazil & Peter Harris have been appointed to represent Pankey.
6/3/22 Update: Pankey appeared in court Friday afternoon with two newly appointed attorneys. Brazil said they’re working diligently to review the substantial amount of evidence in the case but weren’t ready to proceed. She requested a due date of July 15 to file motions, to get the maximum amount of time to review the evidence. A full-day motions hearing is scheduled for 9am 8/12/22 & 8/26 & pretrial readiness conference hearing on 9/20 & trial set to begin on 10/4/22 thru 11/4/22.
8/5/22 Update: Motions hearing on 8/12/22 has been cancelled. Next motions hearing on 8/26/22.