murders in greeley, colorado
Multiple bullets hit the kneeling woman, who immediately collapsed on the ground while the assailant made a quick escape. [21] Mogensen said that while there had been sibling rivalry between her and Jonelle in 1984, Jonelle's killing eliminated the possibility for the two siblings to grow closer. [22][23], On October 13, 2020, Pankey was indicted on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping in Jonelle's death. Shawna Louise Buntz Nelson (pictured, left) was always looking for love. He also claimed to have watched students walking home from the middle school which Jonelle attended. [13] Decades later, Pankey provided investigators with documents concerning this trip, which police said contained "false statements and superfluous details". However, unable to get an idea about possible suspects, authorities interviewed Heathers co-workers, who gave the police their first breakthrough. On Monday, Weld Judge Vincente Vigil imposed the maximum sentence of 60 years in the . However, refusing to give up, officers arrested her best friend, Michelle Moore, who came clean after being charged with being an accessory after the fact and admitted that Shawna was responsible for murdering Heather. Jan 18, 2022 Updated Jan 18, 2022. Greeley Police Commander Roy Smith stated that Pankey "had made repeated efforts to speak with detectives" about the Matthews case, but refused to answer questions when detectives traveled to Twin Falls on August 15, 2019. We love Greeley, we love the community. An initial examination determined that she was dead, while an autopsy later confirmed that the Colorado State Employees Credit Union employee had died of multiple bullet wounds. The usually peaceful city of Greeley, Colorado, was forced to witness a horrifying homicide when Heather Garraus was murdered in cold blood as she left her place of work. Homicide is Soaring in the Greeley, CO Metro Area Samuel Stebbins Homicides are rising at a record pace in the United States. 'An Overwhelming Number Of Lies': Colorado Counselor Slain In Life [16] She appears in the International Center for Unidentified and Missing Persons' database. On Friday night, Vega's mother reported her missing after she didn't return home by 7:35 p.m. after she was scheduled to close the family business at 7 p.m. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. About 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Greeley police responded to a home in the 4900 block of 23rd Street Road, where they found three people shot dead: Richard Kraus, 83, Patricia Kraus, 80, and Alan Kraus, 61, all of Greeley. [21], Pankey gave an interview to the Times-News and said he was being framed by the police because of his sexuality, identifying himself as a "celibate homosexual". Internal Affairs, a podcast spinoff from the long-running news program Dateline NBC, is correspondent Josh Mankiewicz's six-episode exploration of a Colorado crime: the 2007 murder in Greeley of . The day of January 23, 2007, was a normal one at the Garraus household as Heather left for work as scheduled. Vega was allegedly sexually assaulted and killed. He got into her car and then left the parking lot at 6:47 p.m. At 10:34 p.m., a resident saw Vegas car parked at a convenience store on 71st Avenue and 20th Street, about a mile from NOCO Nutrition, according to arrest records. She was very unique and had a heart of gold! According to a recent FBI report, there were a total of 21,570 murders committed in 2020, the most of any year in the last two and a half decades and up nearly 30% from 2019 the largest annual increase on record. [14] She was mentioned in the Congressional Record for the United States House of Representatives on April 2, 1985, page 7224. Coroner identifies 3 family members killed in - Greeley Tribune The incident remains under investigation by the Greeley Police Department, which will provide further information as it becomes available, Chief Deputy Coroner Joey Weiner said. New information from Greeley police has revealed some gruesome details about the sexual assault and murder of Angelica 'Angie' Vega. [25] The prosecution argued that Pankey's behavior and statements incriminated him in the murder, but Pankey's defense attorney argued that his "obsessive interest" in the case could be attributed to Asperger syndrome. Community members like Irene Castillo said Vega was a sweet girl who was loved by many. The victim eventually stopped breathing and his pulse could not be detected, according to Evans police. Family members identified the woman killed as 22-year-old Angelica "Angie" Vega. Video surveillance obtained by police showed a 24-year-old murder suspect waiting for customers to leave a business before brutally killing a 22-year-old worker with a hatchet. The man saw signs of someone being dragged as well as surveillance footage showing someone taking Vega. UNC lost to NAU, 62-59, in overtime. Jaramillo has several active warrants, but has not been taken into custody for the July 24 stabbing. A young woman found dead in the back of her vehicle Friday night in Greeley has been identified, and a suspect is in custody. At the time of her murder, Heather Garraus was 37-years-old and happily married to Ignacio Garraus, a police officer in the Greeley Police Department. Upon arrival, officers found the victim on the floor of the garage while two witnesses were providing help to the severely injured man. Jonelle's shoes and shawl were near a heater in the family room, a place she often sat. Officers searched for him in the area and saw him walking a few blocks away. Vallejos returned to the cameras view to retrieve the hatchet and take it back to the office area. Incidentally, Heather also worked at the Colorado State Employees Credit Union in Greeley, and co-workers couldnt help but praise her diligence. The affidavit says he was out of camera view. Just after 6:15 p.m., the last customer left the store, leaving Vega alone inside with Vallejos, the affidavit says. GREELEY, Colo. ( KDVR) The family of a 22-year-old woman who was killed Friday night has identified her as Angie Vega. Deputies arrested him about an hour after finding his mother, 66-year-old June Martinez Faudoa, killed in her home just outside Eaton. Every picture of Vega at the memorials shows her smile. but it can also be stressful. [3] Her remains were discovered on July 24, 2019, by construction workers putting in a new pipeline 15mi (24km) from her home. 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Firearms sales soared, and tens of millions of new guns proliferated across communities nationwide. The Matthews notified Vierra about what happened and the families became friends. The police arrived at 10:15 PM and found footprints in the snow, indicating that someone had been looking in the windows. A customer also told her someone broke into the business and there was blood on the floor. According to the court documents, the video shows Vallejos going to the counter and speaking to Vega before he sits at a nearby table and shuffles papers in and out of his backpack, drawing and writing on them. At his son's funeral, Hicks reportedly heard Pankey say, "I hope God didn't allow this to happen because of Jonelle Matthews. The criminal indictment said that he "intentionally inserted himself in the investigation many times over the years claiming to have knowledge of the crime which grew inconsistent and incriminating over time". He then leaves and pulls his car closer to the business. Greeley, Colorado, is one of only four large U.S. metro areas where murders more than tripled in the last year. Eventually, Vallejos followed her behind the counter and attacked her from behind with a hatchet. When officers arrived, they found a wounded man on the ground with. 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[21] Pankey had claimed that on the evening of Jonelle's abduction, a rake was used to cover up tracks left in the snow. Use at your own risk. Angie always put her mother and siblings first!". "Its really scary to know that she was doing her job and someone so innocent can be taken for no reason, no reason at all.. [5] Just before 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Greeley police were asked to do a well-being check on a family at a home in the 4900 block of 23rd Street Road after concerning text messages were received, a police spokesperson said. In 2010, the Greeley Tribune published another summary of the case. A news release from the coroners office notes they were family. When officers arrived, they found Vega's glasses in the parking lot and blood on the sidewalk in front of the business. Some experts speculate that each of these factors likely played a role in rising homicide rates nationwide. Despite the increase, the local homicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people remains below the national rate of 6.5 per 100,000. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Lets delve into the details surrounding the crime and find out more, shall we? Former Idaho gubernatorial candidate charged with killing girl, 12, who Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Radin at (970) 350-9671. When the police began investigating Heathers death, they turned to the eyewitnesses who were present on the scene and recorded their accounts. Paramedics arrived to take the victim to North Colorado Medical Center. At this point, Vega was draped in a blanket. [4] Steven Pankey was sentenced to life imprisonment on October 31, 2022, after his arrest in 2020. Affidavit: Greeley resident wanted on suspicion of attempted murder Weld judge sentences Greeley man to 60 years for October 2020 murder Steve Pankey, who twice ran for governor of Idaho, is charged in the 1984 kidnapping and murder of Jonelle Matthews. Evans police learned Greeley police had arrested Jaramillo on June 28 on suspicion of a stabbing. Randy Baker's Wife, Kelly, Found Him Dead On The Floor. Police have arrested a suspect and charged him with murder. Records indicate he struck her in the head and delivered numerous blows. SHE had dreams! On Wednesday, September 4, 2019, police in Twin Falls, Idaho, searched Pankey's condo under a warrant that stated investigators had probable cause to believe that Pankey abducted and murdered Jonelle. She was pronounced dead at 10:59 p.m. Police found Vallejos backpack in the front seat of the car. Jaramillo has several warrants out for his arrest, dating back to traffic charges in February. The friend said Vega would take her siblings out to dinner one day a month to spend time with them. She had a beautiful bright smile that could light up a room! While Vega was motionless on the floor, Vallejos laid the weapon on the counter and walked back toward the restroom and office area. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The usually peaceful city of Greeley, Colorado, was forced to witness a horrifying homicide when Heather Garraus was murdered in cold blood as she left her place of work. [4] Steven Pankey was sentenced to life imprisonment on October 31, 2022, after his arrest in 2020. Heather Garraus Murder: Latest Recycling of a Colorado Crime Story Greeley murder: Man gets maximum sentence for 2020 killing | 9news.com 2A 23-year-old will spend 60 years behind bars for shooting and killing a Greeley man in October 2020. [27] He received a sentence of 20 years to life in prison. GREELEY, Colo. (KDVR) The family of a 22-year-old woman who was killed Friday night has identified her as Angie Vega. The tree died after a few years and a plaque inscribed with Jonelle's name disappeared. [18], 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 .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}401423N 1043609W / 40.239848N 104.602514W / 40.239848; -104.602514, about 15mi (24km) southeast of Jonelle's home. The suspect is Jessica Reeves-Burrola, according to jail records. Officers said Vallejos threw a brick through the window of the Greeley Church of Latter Day Saints and went inside. The documents detail the rest of the video, which includes Vallejos taking Vega, dragging her on a couch cover to her vehicle and placing her in the rear of the vehicle. According to the Greeley. Tawnya Bowie, who owns the business next door to Noco Nutrition, said they hope to support the family through some kind of fundraising event. [13], A few months following Jonelle's disappearance, Pankey attended a church service where a minister claimed that Jonelle would be found safe. Therefore, Shawna was arrested and charged with murder. RELATED: 'She was always smiling': Family remembers woman killed at Greeley smoothie shop. Man convicted of brutally murdering Greeley woman with plunger - WeldDA She said that on their return trip, Pankey "uncharacteristically listened to the radio, searching for news of the girl's disappearance". DENVER The Weld County Coroners Office on Thursday identified the three people found dead inside a home in Greeley in what police said was a possible murder-suicide. To learn more about ChatGPT and how we can inspire students, we sat down with BestReviews book expert, Ciera Pasturel. We want safety, so the powers that be put more lights up here. On Oct. 29, 2020, Greeley officers responded to a shooting around 3 a.m. in the 1100 block alley between 11th and 12th streets. Introduction. It showed the suspect, Marcos Vallejos, enter the store at 5:36 p.m., while customers were inside. - A Greeley man was sentenced to the rest of his life in prison this week for murdering a woman in 2018. At 6:25 p.m., Vallejos got up from his table and walked to the restroom. Police continue to investigate the shooting. Jaramillo and the victim went outside to talk, according to records, when the victim returned to the garage holding his neck and saying he had been stabbed. The caller said Vega was supposed to close the business at 7 p.m. Before calling police, a worker saw video surveillance and noticed the place looked like a mess. She was found dead in. Three people are dead after an apparent murder-suicide in Greeley Saturday. The 2019 crime rate in Greeley, CO is 233 (City-Data.com crime index), which is comparable to the U.S. average. A Greeley detective accessed the interior video surveillance from NOCO Nutrition. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. She was found dead in her car after she went missing from her place of work at NOCO Nutrition. Steve Pankey, a former longshot candidate for Idaho governor, has been indicted on Oct. 13, 2020, in the murder of Jonelle Matthews, a 12-year-old Colorado girl who went missing in 1984. Affidavit: Video footage captures vicious murder of 22-year-old March 3, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. Zachary Miller (Boulder County Sheriff's Office) The Boulder man accused of beating another man to death with a pipe in 2020 was once again ordered to undergo a sanity . She said theyre pushing for better safety in this area. It was higher than in 74.7% U.S. cities. [21], The police announced that Pankey had long been a person of interest in the case. He cut a cover off a couch inside the shop, wrapped her body in the cover, put her in the backseat of her own vehicle and drove away, the affidavit states. A little after 10:30 p.m., police found Vega's vehicle a little over a mile away, near 71st Avenue and 20th Street. In the last 5 years Greeley has seen decreasing violent crime and decreasing property crime. Vega was allegedly sexually assaulted and killed. For 11 minutes, he was out of the cameras view, arrest records said. Vega's family posted a statement on Facebook that read in part: "Angelica Vega was a Daughter a grand daughter a sister a niece a cousin a friend. When detectives examined the surveillance video, they learned Vallejos entered the business at 5:36 p.m. while other customers were inside. The spike in homicides came during a tumultuous year. Later, police said he referred to his right arm as the one that kills people. But expanding your horizons may add additional costs. Following extradition from Idaho, Pankey made his first appearance in a Colorado courtroom in Greeley on October 30, 2020.[24].