BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS OF STEVE PANKEY

        BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS OF STEVE PANKEY 

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Background and Context

Born in 1951 in California to a minister father, Pankey lived a 

transient life—Greeley in the 1970s-80s, then Idaho by 1987—

working as a used car salesman and dabbling in politics (failed 

Idaho gubernatorial runs in 2014 and 2018). Married to Angela 

Hicks until their 1999 divorce, he had a son who was later 

murdered in 2008. On December 20, 1984, Jonelle vanished from 

her home two miles from Pankey’s; her remains surfaced in 2019, 

shot in the head, leading to his 2020 arrest. No DNA ties him to the

 scene—his conviction rests on circumstantial evidence: his words

 and actions over 35 years.

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Behavioral Patterns

Attention-Seeking and Insertion

Pankey craved the spotlight—a trait evident across his life. Post-

murder, he injected himself into the investigation repeatedly:

Early Moves:

 Days after Jonelle’s disappearance, he took an unplanned family 

trip to California (December 22-26, 1984), obsessively scanning 

radio news for updates, per Hicks’s 2021 trial testimony. Back in 

Greeley, he dug in his yard and burned a car—oddities Hicks later 

flagged.

Decades of Chatter:

 From 1985 on, he made cryptic statements—muttering “false 

prophet” at a church claiming Jonelle lived, telling the FBI in 1999 

he knew her body’s location but demanded immunity (Coloradoan,

 2020). He filed court pleadings referencing her case, once hinting

 he’d “get the death penalty” for revealing it (Westword, 2020).

Public Persona:

 His 2019 Idaho Statesman interview—claiming innocence while 

confirming a police search—reads like a bid for relevance. His 

political runs—seven failed campaigns—mirror this need to be 

seen.

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This isn’t Colton Harris-Moore’s thrill-seeking; it’s calculated noise. 

Defense attorney Anthony Viorst called him a “true-crime junkie” 

loving “limelight” (CBS News, 2021)—a fair fit for a man who 

named himself a suspect.

Emotional Volatility and Control

Pankey’s emotions swung but stayed strategic:

Post-Crime: Hicks described him as agitated during that 1984 trip

—snapping at her to read news aloud, fixating on coverage 

(9News, 2021). Yet, he masked it publicly—no outbursts, just quiet

 quirks.

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Trial: 

On the stand in 2021 and 2022, he rambled—bitterness over police,

 church, and employer fueling lies about Jonelle (CBS News, 2022). 

His 2022 sentencing retort—“I’m innocent, this isn’t justice”—was 

calm, defiant, not unhinged (Oxygen, 2022).

Family Life:

 Hicks testified to controlling acts—like duct-taping a barking dog’s 

muzzle (CBS News, 2022)—suggesting a need to dominate, though

 he denied it.

Unlike Kanye West’s bipolar eruptions, Pankey’s volatility

 simmered—less chaos, more manipulation.

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Deception and Inconsistency

His stories shifted—a red flag for investigators:

Early Lies:

 He told police in 1985 he saw a rake used to erase footprints at 

Jonelle’s house—a detail never public (Oxygen, 2024)—then 

claimed he heard it elsewhere.

Later Claims:

 At his son’s 2008 funeral, he said, “I hope God didn’t let this 

happen because of Jonelle” (Wikipedia, 2022), a guilt-laden slip 

Hicks noted. In 2019, he denied knowing the Matthews family 

despite church overlap (CBS News, 2021).

Trial Defense: 

He admitted lying about case details—out of “bitterness,” he said 

(Coloradoan, 2021)—but pinned it on grudges, not murder.

This isn’t Wendi Adelson’s polished evasion—it’s sloppy, 

compulsive, like he couldn’t resist hinting.

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Obsession and Ritual

Pankey fixated on Jonelle’s case:

Long-Term Tracking:

 He followed it across states—Colorado to Idaho—writing letters, 

calling cops, even in 2019 offering DNA (Coloradoan, 2020)—

behavior Greeley PD’s Mike Prill called “guiding the investigation” 

to frame others (KDVR, 2022).

Symbolic Acts: 

Digging post-trip, burning a car—ritualistic, perhaps disposing of 

evidence (9News, 2021). Prill speculated racial or church grudges 

(Jonelle was Latina, Pankey clashed with their Sunny View 

congregation), though motive’s unproven.

This echoes cult-like obsession—less Ruby Franke’s dogma, more a 

personal crusade.

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Psychological Lens

No formal diagnosis sticks—Asperger’s was floated in 2021 

(explaining oddities, per Viorst), but data wasn’t released (Greeley

 Tribune, 2021). Still, traits emerge:

Narcissistic Leanings:

 His limelight chase and “master manipulator” label (prosecutor 

Robb Miller, 9News, 2021) suggest self-focus—less grand than 

Kanye, more petty.

Paranoid Edge:

 Rants about police conspiracies (CBS News, 2022) and framing 

attempts (church, Russ Ross) hint at distrust—though not Patty 

Hearst’s trauma-driven break.

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Compulsive Need:

 Inserting himself wasn’t random—it’s a pattern, like an itch he 

scratched for decades, possibly guilt or ego.

He’s not Morgan Geyser’s delusional psychosis—his control and 

awareness argue against that. More a quirky, resentful oddball 

who overplayed his hand.

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Behavioral Takeaway

Steve Pankey’s a study in self-sabotage—attention-hungry, 

deceptively erratic, fixated on a crime he couldn’t leave alone. His 

behavior post-1984—trips, digs, boasts—screams involvement, 

whether guilt or a twisted game. Unlike Harris-Moore’s reckless 

youth or Sanders’s steady zeal, Pankey’s a small man chasing big 

notice, undone by his own noise. Convicted on words, not DNA, 

he’s a cautionary tale: talk too much, and the noose tightens.