On November 2, 2021, jurors got the case. Two days later they had reached a verdict. The jury found him guilty on making false reports to authorities, but they were deadlocked on the other kidnapping and murder counts. The judge declared a mistrial on those counts. "I realize the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the other counts and that is a perfectly acceptable way for a trial to conclude," Judge Timothy Kerns told the court. Prosecutors have announced they will seek a new trial on the murder and kidnapping counts. Steven Pankey is still in custody awaiting a new trial date. 陪审团裁定潘琦作伪证罪名成立,谋杀和绑架没有达成一致使罪名不成立。检察官将要对谋杀和绑架提出新的指控,潘琦还在被关押等待庭审
The jury deciding the fate of Steve Pankey, who was charged in connection with the 1984 death of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews, couldn't reach a consensus on the most serious counts, but did convict him on a charge of false reporting. Jurors began deliberations on Nov. 2 , 2021 following more than two weeks of testimony in Weld County where prosecutors asserted that Pankey's own statements pointed to him as her killer, while the defense argued the case lacked evidence and said Pankey's "obsessive interest" didn't make him a killer. A mistrial was declared for counts one, two and three. Those charges included first-degree murder, felony murder and second-degree kidnapping.