If they could see some of the e-mails from these families that have had some closure, I can't imagine that anyone would say it's the wrong thing to do. The Cedar Rapids Police Department said in a Music is courtesy of FesliyanStudios. Jerry Lynn Burns, 66, was found guilty in Februaryof first-degree murderin the 1979 stabbing death of18-year-old Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids. Chief Wayne Jerman announced that a suspect has been arrested in the 39-year old murder case involving Michelle Martinko. Iowa community tries to reconcile a cold case arrest and its long history with a neighbor, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Jerry Lynn Burns (born December 23, 1953 ) was 25 years old when he killed Michelle Martinko in December 1979. He grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. He lived in Manchester at the time of his arrest in 2020 and owned a powder coating business in the city. Jerry Burns' mugshot and a family photo of Michelle Martinko. WebThe Chilling Case Of Jerry Lynn Burns 10 views May 30, 2022 2 Dislike Share Save FourWaller ** 227 subscribers Michelle Martinko was an 18yr old student from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. His wife and other close members of his family were allowed to attend the sentencing but seating was limited to allow for social distancing in the courtroom. ", "We don't exactly know the whys and some of the details, but we definitely know who did it, and that was terribly important to us," Janelle Stonebraker, Michelle Martinko's older sister, said after the verdict was read. In a brief interview with the Cedar Rapids Gazette in 1980, Janet said of her daughter, She loved music. The police chief at the time, Ray Baker, said the fatal stabbing "outraged the whole community.". Jerry Lynn Burns DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWWL) - State prosecutors called a former cellmate of Jerry Burns in his murder trial, which continued Tuesday in Scott County. The medical examiner later determined that she died between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. She had not been robbed or sexually assaulted, and defensive wounds were found on her hands, indicating she fought back. Experts in 2018built a male profile based on DNA left at the scene of Martinko's death. The tribute says that Patricia Burns had three children, one son and two daughters. Ahead of the Dateline NBC episode about her death, heres what you need to know about the crime, the perpetrator, and what sentence he received at trial. 2023 www.desmoinesregister.com. His trial is set for June 2021. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Cellmate recounts multiple outbursts in Jerry Burns She was a beautiful singer, and I miss all this. However, in 2006, a tip came into the Cedar Rapids police department. The music books either were dropped somewhere police didn't searched or the killer disposed of them, he said. At the time of her death, police had found Martinko stabbed to death in her car in a local mall parking lot. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. On June 19, 1980, police released a composite sketch, developed based on descriptions provided by two witnesses, of the man they believed stabbed Martinko. Investigators used the blood samples to develop a partial male DNA profile. Martin stops in Dubuque, Refurbished bells return to Univ. Burns' DNA profile was developed from blood on Martinko's black dress. Jerry Burns Sentenced to Life in Prison for Michelle The media showed up and then it was real. Martinko was a senior at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm William Brangham. Distant relative learns her DNA The police used the information to create a partial DNA profile. Considering Retiring From The Practice of Law? "This was a brutal, violent, horrendous crime," Linn County Assistant Attorney Mike Harris said at the time. Rogers initially built it so people like Brandy Jennings could use their DNA results to build out their family tree. Michelle Martinko - Jerry Burns appeal may You can't edit your genome. Jerry Lynn Burns (64) was arrested 12/19/2018 and faces first-degree murder charges. He faces a first-degree murder charge after investigators say they found his blood at the crime scene. Authorities believe Burns stabbed the Kennedy High School senior in the chest and face inside a car parked at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. Martinko was found dead of stab wounds on December 19, 1979, in the parking lot of a mall where she had gone shopping for a coat. Tonight, William Brangham is back to explore the growing privacy debate around this new technique and why some people are urging that we slow down. The case itself had initially led investigators to assume the crime had been one of passion, with the amount of stab wounds to Martinko's face, but even now, there have been no answers as to why it happened. After her death, authorities described Martinkos murder as personal in nature. Police also said that Martinko had defensive wounds, indicating that she had tried to fight her killer. Because this moment has finally come. She had been stabbed 21 times in the face, neck, and chest. She can be contacted at aspoerre@dmreg.com, 515-284-8387or on Twitter at@annaspoerre. In 2018, familial DNA identified a suspect named Jerry Lynn Burns, and the case was finally laid to rest with the accused getting sentenced to life in prison without parole. Burns also built himself a new home on his parents' land and opened a gas station and convenience store nearby. The investigator reported Birky said the lessons were once a week; although she wasn't sure which day of the week they were, she recalled the last lesson was the night Martinko was killed outside the mall. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Family and friends of Jerry Burns react as Burns is sentenced at his sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. But Burns will 'forfeit his freedom forever and die alone. ", In closing arguments Monday, Spies repeated a phrase from his opening arguments: "Genetic information tells us much about what we are, but not necessarily who we are or where we've been.". During the original investigation, detectives compiled a list of more than 80 potential suspects. William Brangham (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Burns reacts as he is sentenced at a hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. After the verdict was read and court was adjourned, they stood and embraced as Martinko's friends around them wept. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover speaks at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Burns was drinking soda through a clear plastic straw. Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com, Bailey Cichon Podcasts Apr. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Friends and family of Jerry Burns react as he is led from the courtroom following his sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns and defense attorney Leon Spies (right) listen to Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover as she reads Burns' sentence at a hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Investigators saw Burns eating at a Pizza Ranch in Manchester. An hour before announcing Burns arrest, police in Cedar Rapids tweeted that there had been a major development in Martinkos murder. When Burns finished eating, he got up and walked out of the restaurant. At the time of his arrest, Burns had beenliving in Manchester, a town of about 5,000 people 45 minutes north of Cedar Rapids, for longer than Martinko's case had been cold. Maybanks recapped Monday how witnesses in the two weeks prior outlined an extensive chain of custody of the evidence to ensure no new DNA could have been introduced into the packages containing Martinko's bloodied clothes and pieces of the car. Burns pleaded not guilty at his February 2020 trial but the jury deliberated just three hours and returned a guilty verdict. All rights reserved. Reporter covering state and federal courts. She was seen inside the mall by friends and coworkers because Martinko worked in the mall. "When they commit to helping a family, as in this case, looking into the eyes of parents who lost an 18-year-old girl and said, 'Were going to find the answer to what happened to her,' that the public can trust that theyre going to do that, even if it takes generations to do it. William Brangham: Turns out the murderer was a distant, distant relative of Cutting-edge DNA technology was used to solve the cold case. Police looked at numerous suspects during the initial investigation, including a man who raped a woman at knifepoint and later died while in prison for that crime, but DNA testing ruled him out. But there's some. Erin Murphy, New York University School of Law: You can change your phone number if someone starts harassing you. Stonebrakersat in the front row of the courtroom, flanked by her husband, John, and oldest son, Robert. The third brother was Jerry Lynn Burns (Burns), the defendant in this case. The law cannot punish Burns for the damage he had done to Martinko's family or the 'terrible shock, shame, pain and devastation inflicted on the innocent lives of his own family. Burns pleaded not guiltyin January. I uploaded it. Follow the Register on Facebook and Twitter for more news. Martinkowas found dead in her parents' Buickin the parking lot of Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids early on the morning of Dec. 20, 1979, curled onto the passenger seat floorboard, stabbed multiple times and bloodied from the wounds she sustained," first assistant Linn County attorney Nick Maybanks previously told jurors. The Cedar Rapids Police Department said in a statement on December 19 that Burns, 64, of Manchester, Iowa, was arrested at his place of work in the town. On the night of December 19th, 1979 someone killed 18-year-old Michelle Martinko inside her car in the parking lot at the new Westdale, The Mystery of Michelle Martinko: The Story Behind the Facebook Page. In October 2006, DNA information that was retrieved from the crime scene was sent to the Combined DNA Index System, CODIS. "One of the areas that continues to tug at my heart," Cedar Rapids' police chief said during a press conference last December, "was (Martinko's sister) expressed how sad their parents passed away without knowing who killed their daughter, Michelle. pic.twitter.com/COPUDpaDMP, Cedar Rapids Police (@CR_Police) December 20, 2018. "She finally got justice. Judge Hoover, who had reviewed Spies' written arguments and Maybanks' resistance before the hearing, quickly denied the motion for a new trial. Burns denied killing Martinko at the time of his initial questioning. Jerry Lynn Burns of Manchester has been arrested and charged with 1st degree murder in the cold case murder of 18 yr old Michelle Martinko. Spies wrote that the jury's verdict was "contrary" to the weight of evidence, and his client'sconstitutional rights were violated by the admission of his statements to investigators the day of his arrest and the use of hisand his family's DNA. More than 60 were tested and cleared. Authorities arrested 64-year-old Jerry Lynn Burns of Manchester this morning. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns and defense attorney Leon Spies (right) react as Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover reads Burns' sentence at a hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. More:Iowa community tries to reconcile a cold case arrest and its long history with a neighbor. Burns, who would have been 25 at the time of Martinko's death, said he could not offer a "plausible explanation" forwhy his DNA was found at the crime scene, authorities said at the time of his arrest. The police then began procuring evidence secretly. Decades after the death, he had a voice in the first-degree murder sentencing of Jerry Burns, 66, of Manchester. His ex-wife, Patricia, committed suicide in 2008, and his cousin Brian Burns astonishingly disappeared. "Ialso feel bad for, you know, his current family and friends because now they have to go through all this as well.". Police said they were able to connect Burns to the case with DNA evidence. What we know about Jerry Burns and the woman he's No match was made through that system. In this video, I interviewed Robert Riley, one of the administrators for the Michelle Martinko Cold Case 1979 Facebook page. Michael Usry Jr., Arrested Due to DNA Test: In fact, almost the entire time they had me in the interrogation room with the one-way mirror and all, they really didn't want to give me any information. And, recently, a Florida judge granted a warrant on one case to let police in even more. William Brangham is a correspondent and producer for PBS NewsHour in Washington, D.C. Spies asserted that the way authorities went about obtaining DNA from Burns and his family members to prove his DNA was found at the crime scene was a violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. An analyst at the Iowa state crime lab found that DNA from the straw matched the blood found on Martinkos dress. A covert DNA sample was matched to blood found at the crime scene. Burns maintained his innocence in pretrial hearings and throughout the trial, but the jury took only three hours to reach a verdict after hearing DNA evidence. Offender Information At the time of arrest, Burns had his own power-coating company called Advanced Coating Concepts. In his statement, Stonebraker said he will never forget Janet Martinko calling them early Dec. 20, 1979, after she had identified the 'bloody, torn, broken body of her beautiful daughter. Rhana Natour. Before 6th Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover sentenced Burns to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Burns, who never showed any emotion during his trial in February, gave a short statement. The judge ordered a $5 million cash-only bond. To learn the entire story of Michelle Martinko's murder, watch Dateline: Unforgettable at 10 pm on Oxygen 79. Authorities arrested 64-year-old Jerry Lynn Burns of Manchester this morning. Turns out the murderer was a distant, distant relative of Jennings. She thinks this new crime-fighting tool is a great thing The reward for information leading to an arrest in Martinkos murder was $15,000. He has been charged, but notconvicted. of Northern Iowas iconic Campanile, Ladd Library in Cedar Rapids to host job fair. The Gazette has been informing Iowans with in-depth local news coverage and insightful analysis for 140 years. Burns argues the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress where the warrantless extraction of his DNA profile violated his rights under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution and article I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution. Michelle Martinko slaying: Jerry Burns' found guilty of murder in He was sentenced to life imprisonment and is currently being held at the Anamosa State Penitentiary. Additionalconcerns were raised in the motion about the jury-building process, instructions given to the jury andtestimony fromstate witnesses. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. And then police learned Usry had traveled through Idaho. The court also should have dismissed statements the defendant made while speaking with investigators after his arrest in December 2019. Dateline: Unforgettable - Where is Jerry Lynn Burns now? KCRG-TV9: 10PM Newscast, December 19, 2018 Arrest in Michelle Martinko Case, KCRG-TV9 Staff Anchors: Bruce Aune and Beth Malicki Meteorologist: Joe Winters Executive Producer: Aaron Hepker Producer: Ellen Kurt Director: Terri Walter Reporters: Dave Franzman, Forrest Saunders, Chantelle Navarro Photographers: Rebecca Varilek, Jay Greene, Michelle Martinko's Family Speaks to Law & Crime Network About the Jerry Burns Verdict, Michelle Martinko's Family Speaks to Law & Crime Network About the Jerry Burns Verdict #JerryBurns #JerryBurnsTrial #MichelleMartinko, Serial Killers Ex Thinks There Were More Victims. READ NEXT: Serial Killers Ex Thinks There Were More Victims, Parents of Murdered Teenager Did Not Live to See Her Killer Brought to Justice, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. WebMichelle fought back and was able to injure Jerry, who bled on the gear handle and Michelles dress. NewsHour regrets the error. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette). The deadline for responses from the state or a date for a hearing before a judgehas not been set yet. Jerry Burns has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Michelle Martinko, whose killing remained unsolved for decades until the advent of investigative We all kind of found out through classes we were in. Burns further argues the trial courts refusal to instruct the jury on the law related to a witnesss motive to testify against Burns constitutes a prejudicial abuse of discretion. The trial for the grisly killing of an Iowa teen in the 1970s will likely be delayed, court records show. Killer who brutally stabbed female high school senior to - The Sun When the DNA test results came back, it wasn't a match. Jerry Lynn Burns: Offender Number: 6931989: Sex: M: Birth Date: 12/23/1953: Location: Anamosa State Penitentiary: Offense: MURDER 1ST DEGREE: TDD/SDD * LIFE: Commitment Date: 08/14/2020: Recall Date: Mandatory Minimum (if applicable) * TDD = Tentative Discharge Date * SDD = Supervision Discharge Date But her sister Janelle and Janelles husband John Stonebaker were present at Burns sentencing. Jerry Lynn Burns and defense attorney Leon Spies (right) listen as First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nicholas Maybanks (not pictured) makes arguments on behalf of the state at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. When the police executed a search warrant for Burns home and office, they found a computer search history that included blonde females, assault, rape, strangulation, murder, abuse and rape of a deceased individual, and cannibalism.. Jerry Lynn Burns was finally arrested in October 2018 for the murder of Michelle Martinko, that took place 39 years prior. "The community is in shock, his friends are in shock, his family is in shock. Before sentencing, defense attorney Leon Spies made a motion for a new trial, arguing many of the same issues that had been ruled upon before. Jerry Lynn Burns murdered Michelle Martinko in 1979 (Images via Google) On the eve of December 19, 1979, an 18-year-old high school student named Michelle WebJerome Monahan Burns (January 24, 1927 May 12, 2021) was an American college and professional football coach. He played in college for the Michigan Wolverines before (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Cedar Rapids Police Investigator Matt Denlinger listens as First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nicholas Maybanks (out of frame) speaks at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. "I wish my parents could be here to see this.". The sample was put into a national computer database and was used to clear more than 70 of Martinkos acquaintances, according to NBC News. This week in 1979 someone killed Michelle Martinko at Westdale Mall. Burns is being held at the Linn County jail on a $5 million cash-only bond. You can do a lot of credit card cancellations if things get into the wrong hands. Burns left the drinking straw behind. She wasn't crying so much as gasping, choking. More:DNA leads federal investigators to suspected serial killer in Iowa; Clark Perry Baldwin charged with killing 3 women in 1990s. By William Brangham, Rhana Natour, Nsikan Akpan. Burns then turned toward his family, sitting in the courtroom, and thanked them for their support. Although Martinko's case was eventually solved, the mystery outlived both of her parents, who died years before Burns was found guilty, and Killer Cases explains, the hope of finding her killer and figuring out what happened and why slowly dwindled throughout the years. A woman in Washington was linked to the suspect, and authorities eventually zeroed in on Burns. Teen Michelle Martinko was stabbed to death in 1979. His trial is set for Oct. 14 in Linn County District Court. From the leadership on down, they never gave up.". People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Stills of news coverage comes from Fox 28 and KCRG. Burns' sentence also included that he wouldn't be eligible for parole. Several residents lauded his professionalism and business savvy when speaking with the Register last year. Michelle Martinko: Her murderer captured by Pizza Straw View Others View Public Details & Court Records See Who's Searching for You See Sites with Your Personal Info Make Changes to What Other's See Lock Sections of Your Profile Request Personal Reviews & The Kennedy High School senior had drivento the mall after a school choir banquet to shop for a new winter coat. John Stonebraker said the three hours it took the jury to reach a verdict was indicative of the strength of the case. Jerry Lynn Burns' DNA sample was collected from a plastic straw he drank soda with. Jerry Lynn Burns faces a first degree murder charge in the killing of Michelle Martinko. Nick Maybanks, first assistant attorney in the Linn County Attorney's Office, said prosecutors will be filing a motion for resistance, but declined to comment further. The couple was married in April 1975 in Manchester, Iowa, four years before Martinkos murder. 'A complete shock': Family of suspect in Martinko murder releases statement, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Across the aisle, the benches behind Burns were packed to the brim. His mark on the world, and the sum of his life, will be a short notice, saying: Convicted Martinko murderer dies in prison,' Stonebraker bluntly said. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. He built a new home on land his parents once farmed and constructed a gas station and convenience store near where he lived. In October 2018, an investigator was able to snag a straw used by one of the three brothers, Jerry Lynn Burns, and tested it against the sample, getting a match. He was born in 1953 and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. Who Is Jerry Lynn Burns? New Details Arrested 1979 Unsolved 'This case has haunted the community for 39 years'; arrest made in And Murphy says those decisions, made by others, cannot be undone. CEDAR RAPIDS - The Martinko family lived without answers for 39 Christmases. And, finally, after maybe about an hour or two, they had to just basically go, no, we think that you you were involved with this crime. Finally, Burns argues the evidence was insufficient to establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Around 4 a.m., Martinko was found inside her familys Buick Electra. Maybanks, in asking Hoover to sentence Burns to life, said this verdict and sentence would not only give peace to the family and many friends of Martinko who have waited four decades for justice, but provide 'enormous relief to the community. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns listens as Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover (not pictured) speaks at his sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Where Is Jerry Lynn Burns Now? That decision essentially erases the genetic privacy of everyone else. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns and defense attorney Leon Spies (right) listen to Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Jerry Lynn Burns is accused of the 1979 cold case murder of Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Martinko always came to her lessons alone but may have had someone waiting for her outside the mall. Jerry Lynn Burns is accused of the 1979 cold case murder of Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. During Jerry Lynn Burns initial interrogation, he said that he could not offer the authorities a plausible explanation as to why his DNA was found at the crime scene. Court documents said blood on clothing worn by Martinko and a blood stain on the gear shift of the car, where the teens body was discovered, were analyzed and found to belong to someone else. Martinko's body was found in her parents' Buick, which was parked near J.C. Penney at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. Exactly 39 years after her death, police took a Manchester man into custody after matching his DNA to blood found at the crime scene. I am a brokenhearted mother.. "For Michelles family and friends, we know that the pain of losing a daughter, sister or friend will never go away," Jermansaid. Burns has hired a very high profile attorney and has said he plans to appeal his conviction, which was very largely based on the DNA evidence. YOUR DESCRIPTION HAS REACHED THE LIMIT OF CHARACTERS ALLOWED AND WAS CUT. But not everyone is so eager to have their DNA end up in a police dragnet. Burns is For some reason, people really get upset about serial killers, mass killers and serial rapists being caught. There is someone here who either knows more than they are willing to admit or knows something that they dont realize is important. A man named Brian Dripps, who was her neighbor, was charged with rape and murder and will go on trial in 2021. All Rights Reserved. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns is led from the courtroom following his sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. It was a case, Cedar Investigators later sought the services of a company that specializes in DNA phenotyping, which Cedar Rapids police described as the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence. She thinks this new crime-fighting tool is a great thing. Anna Spoerre covers crime and courts for the Des Moines Register. Burns pleaded not guilty at his February 2020 trial but the jury deliberated just three hours and returned a guilty verdict. Jerry Burns, convicted of killing Michelle Martinko, says During the trial, he initially denied knowing Martinko but his statements were found to contradict when his defense argued that evidence had been mishandled back in 1979 and that different articles of clothing from the crime scene should not have been stored together in one evidence bag. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. 'Killer Cases' Explores His After genealogy websites proved helpful in the investigation of the Golden State Killer, Iowainvestigators asked Parabon-NanoLabs, which had access to hundreds of thousands of genetic samples people uploaded,to see if there was a match in its database. Police retrieved the straw. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover reads aloud a motion for a new trial filed by Burns at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. A retired music teacher, Kathryn Birky, of Swisher, who taught private piano and organ lessons, said she had a regularly scheduled lesson with Martinko in the Westdale Mall the night of the attack, Spies said. Powered by. Burns' arrest prompted a round of whispering about two of his family members.