CBS 48 Hours: Who is the prime suspect in Jonelle Matthews murder case and where is he now?

The shocking disappearance and murder of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews is the focus of CBS' latest episode of 48 Hours. A brief synopsis of the episode on CBS News states:

"A former candidate for governor is accused of kidnapping a 12-year-old girl. Does his decades-long fascination with the case mean he’s a true-crime junkie or a murderer? '48 Hours' correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports.''

Jonelle Matthews' remains were discovered almost 35 years later, and in October 2020, a man named Steven Pankey was arrested for kidnapping and murdering the 12-year-old girl. Read further ahead to find out more about Steven Pankey.

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CBS' 48 Hours - Jonelle Matthews murder case: Who is Steven Pankey?

Steven Pankey lived close to Jonelle Matthews' home back in 1984 when the girl went missing a few days before Christmas. As per CBS News, Pankey, along with his family, shifted to several other states in the years after Jonelle's disappearance and eventually settled in Idaho. Pankey reportedly worked as a car salesman and a security guard before making his foray into politics when he moved to Idaho.

Over the years, Pankey has had a tussle with the law. He was once arrested for ''creating a nuisance and harassment'' at a bank. Pankey was involved in the Jonelle Matthews investigation, providing police with information about the 12-year-old's disappearance.

According to CBS News, Pankey said that he'd lost interest in the case when the police did not respond to his letters. But things took a shocking turn when Jonelle's remains were discovered in July 2019. A month later, authorities searched Pankey's home and reportedly took his laptop, cell phones, and ''a bunch of pictures,'' as per an interview with KMTV.

Steven Pankey was indicted by a Weld County grand jury and was subsequently arrested on charges of kidnapping and first-degree murder in October 2020. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Anthony J. Viorst, Pankey's lawyer at the time, contended that Pankey was someone who liked attention, but was not a killer. He told 48 Hours:

''Mr. Pankey loves the limelight. He just does, for whatever reason.''

Arguably the most incriminating piece of evidence, according to the indictment, was his knowledge of a rake at Jonelle Matthews' home that was used to remove footprints in snow. However, his lawyer argued that he was told about the rake by the authorities.

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CBS 48 Hours Jonelle Matthews murder case: What happened at Steven Pankey's trial?

A pivotal moment during the trial happened when Pankey's ex-wife took the stand and told jurors that he'd made her listen to the news coverage of Jonelle Matthews' disappearance on the radio and that she'd found a piece of paper in the dustbin, which mentions that the snow was raked outside Jonelle's home. Pankey confessed during the trial that he'd feigned knowledge about the case. He said (obtained via CBS News):

''The truth is that I made a lot of stuff up out of bitterness....It was just me trying to be a big man, be in the case, OK? I had no knowledge."

He was found guilty of lying about knowledge of the case. But jurors were deadlocked on the kidnapping and murder charges, as a result of which the judge ordered a mistrial. He's reportedly incarcerated at the Weld County jail, with his next trial expected to begin on October 4, 2022.