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. Homerline, a soft-spoken woman who enjoyed teaching Sunday School, did everything possible to avoid attention. Allison said he and Burns had a good relationship at first but it eventually turned sour. Reporter covering state and federal courts. wife was deter mined to be a distant cousi n to many of the Subject's more . Wednesday, March 1, 2023: Today on General Hospital, Obrecht is furious with both Liz and Scott, Finn offers to stand by Liz, and Sonny and Dex bond over a meal. A article mentioned that the police found his Internet search history had stuff like 'murder, rape, harm of blonde women'. Log In. When Denlinger reminded Burns that Michelle had been killed in 1979, Burns responded, "It was a big deal. December . Exactly 39 years after Michelle Martinko's body was found, DNA evidence led to the arrest of a Manchester man who was charged with her 1979 murder. Jerry Burns is still behind bars . Definitely fascinating! [11], In the mid-1980s, Martinko's father filed a lawsuit against the owners of the Westdale Mall and claimed negligence in not providing "reasonable security" on the night of the murder. 39 years later after the murder, a person named Jerry Lynn Burns was arrested in Manchester, Iowa, and charged with first-degree murder. [22][12] From that, police were able to build a partial DNA profile. Head coach Jerry Burns of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during a 27-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sept. 24, 1989. . State prosecutors also showed a video interview they secretly recorded in 2018, after matching Burns' DNA to the crime scene and getting a search warrant to obtain further DNA. Works at Target Distribution Center. Jerry Burns may be a hitched man, having a . "He had told me if I keep beating him, in pinochle, he was gonna have to 'take me to the mall,'" Allison said on the witness stand Tuesday. I am a brokenhearted mother.. [10][11] She was also a talented performer, joined the twirling squad as a sophomore, and performed in choirs and theater productions. family - he had 3 kids - tough to sneak away for 4 hours when you have kids unless he was on a business trip. But then Denlinger's supervisor, who had been listening to the recorded interview from across the street with other officers, sent Denlinger text message telling him to arrest Burns. Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, was arrested on Wednesday after police said he was linked by DNA from blood found on Michelle Martinko's clothing and elsewhere in the car at the crime scene. Now in his late 60s, Burns is currently behind bars and will stay there till he dies. The case got nationwide media attention but has remained an unsolved mystery for more than 25 years. . A composite sketch of the suspect was released in June 1980 with the help of two witnesses. His trial was originally scheduled for October 14, 2019, but in September the defense requested a delay in order to gather more evidence and interview witnesses. Jerry Burns appeals his conviction for murder in the first degree. Lives in Tyler, Texas. ", First published on November 6, 2020 / 8:47 AM. "Do I look like that?" On December 20, 2018, a district judge set his bond at $5 million. [12] Martinko, who was a senior in high school when she was killed, had plans to attend Iowa State University to study interior design. Yeah, it's really really good! [2][4][27], In pretrial hearings, Burns' attorneys claimed that police needed a search warrant to gather his DNA from the discarded straw, but the judge determined that discarded property cannot reasonably be considered private. Court is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.. [8][9] She attended Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School, where she was an above average student and well regarded by school officials. [28], After two days of jury selection, the murder trial began on February 12, 2020. Burns pleaded not guilty at his February 2020 trial but the jury deliberated just three hours and returned a guilty verdict. The sample was put into a national computer database and was used to clear more than 70 of Martinkos acquaintances, according to NBC News. The similarities were eerie two pretty, young women, both meeting their final fate in parking lots in Iowa, 16 years apart, in cases that went unsolved for decades. And I went 'bingo'.". Martinko was 18, a senior in high school in 1979, when she was accosted as she was getting into her car on a chilly night in December following a trip to the mall. 20-1150 APPEAL FROM THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT FOR LINN COUNTY HONORABLE FAE E. HOOVER . [7] Eventually, more than 125 people would have their DNA swabbed and compared against samples taken from the scene. Like all the cases I cover, Michelles was solved using forensic genealogy, which led police to Jerry Lynn Burns. Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, was apprehended and charged with first-degree murder after authorities matched his DNA with blood samples found on the Martinko family car's gear shift knob. He grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. But he never asked for an attorney, Denlinger said. She was stabbed multiple times in the face, neck, and chest. Family and friends of Jerry Burns are seated in the courtroom at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. [3] The brothers were placed under surveillance, and investigators began to attempt to collect their DNA secretly. At long last, in 2018, Jerry Lynn was caught and blamed for the teen's manslaughter and, in spite of the fact that it had been a very long time after the wrongdoing, the once cool case is right now a subject of discussion on A&E's executioner cases. Offender records are public information pursuant to Section 904.601 (1)Iowa Code (1999). The video of that is on YouTube and is mentioned around the 25:28 mark. Your login session has expired. Authorities arrested 64-year-old Jerry Lynn Burns of Manchester this morning. Police found impressions from rubber gloves inside and outside the car, indicating that the assailant had likely planned his attack and hoped to escape unidentified. Like all the cases I cover, Michelle's was solved using forensic genealogy, which led police to Jerry Lynn Burns. Allison, who's being held on drug charges in Linn County, says the two played the card game pinochle often. During this time, according to the testimony, he made a reference to 'blacking out but didn't explain it. Michelle Martinko was an 18yr old student from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. This evidence was inadmissible at trial but was the subject of a public suppression hearing. Linn. Burns is accused of murdering Michelle Martinko in 1979. 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. Unfortunately, Martinkos parents did not survive to see her killer brought to justice. [2] The police received more than 100 tips following the release of the new images. [2], Martinko had been stabbed 29 times in her face, neck, and chest. After her parents reported her missing at 2 a.m., police discovered the teen's body in her vehicle about four hours later. [7] Martinko was the younger of two daughters of Albert F. Martinko and Janet Martinko (ne Zillig). Mail, proper postage prepaid, addressed to Jerry L. Burns, No. Even though the police were tipped over 200 times in the weeks following the murder, the case eventually grew cold as investigations stretched on. Her friend declined. . A Felony. Could Jerry Burns have committed murders other than Michelle Martinko's? [1][5] Iowan law mandates a life sentence without the possibility of parole for first degree murder. Michelle Marie Martinko Find-A-Grave: Michelle Marie Martinko Iowa Cold Cases: Michelle Marie Martinko Michelle Martinko stories 40 years later: What we know about Michelle Martinko and the arrest that re-opened the cold case Jury seated in Jerry Burns murder trial Michelle Martinko murder case evidence photos Iowa Teen Was Fatally Stabbed in Mall Parking Lot He asked Burns for a sample of his DNA, but Burns said no - not without an attorney. The next day, she was found stabbed to death in the mall parking lot. Hi! Dr. Obrecht Learns if She's a Bone Marrow Match for Willow Plus, Nikolas' Whereabouts Are Revealed. The judge ordered a $5 million cash bond, and Burns is set to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 28. Parabon. "The family never gave up hope that this case would be solved," Jerman said in a statement Wednesday. [28] The defense also requested that evidence pertaining to Burns' cell phone browser history be suppressed. Jerry Lynn Burns was finally arrested in October 2018 for the murder of Michelle Martinko, that took place 39 years prior. Be the first one to comment on this story. Kayla Lemieux, the transgender high school teacher in Canada, has been put on paid leave after pictures emerged of her dressed as a man proving she does not wear the prosthetics all the time. "I am happy Michelle finally gets justice.". To learn more about the murder of Michelle Martinko, watch Dateline: Unforgettable on December 22, at 10:00 pm on Oxygen 79. This "tragic case" had been "haunting this community for 39 years," Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said Wednesday. Cellmate recounts multiple outbursts in Jerry Burns murder trial, The Christmas Project is back raising money for local non-profits, 3-year-old Cedar Rapids child confirmed dead from accidental drowning, The Carson King saga, a legendary Iowa tale of giving back, Active police investigation in Cedar Rapids, SIX MONTHS LATER: Derecho cleanup, recovery, replanting continues, Hawkeyes roll by North Carolina A&T 112-71. [32] Prosecutors also played a video of a police interview of Burns, in which he denied being at the crime scene on the night of Martinko's murder, and could not explain how his DNA had been found at the scene. "I read the article and it talked about genetic genealogy. Dave Franzman, a longtime reporter at ABC Cedar Rapids affiliate KCRG, Michelle Martinko's high school friend, Elizabeth Laymon, told The Des Moines Register. [29] The judge determined the search history was not usable in the trial due to the decades of time separating the murder and the searches. After weeks pursuing a wide range of possible blood relatives, Parabon helped him narrow the search down to three middle-aged brothers in Iowa who would have been young men back in 1979: Ken, Don and Jerry Burns. Jerry Burns is still behind bars on a $5 million cash bond, charged with first-degree murder in the 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko. Law enforcement said Burns hasnt been able to explain why his DNA would be at the crime scene, nor does he remember committing the crime. They then used genealogical data as well as a covertly collected DNA sample from Burns to positively identify him, authorities said. Might be nothing, but Jerry has a cousin who went missing in 2013 and it has become a cold case and Jerry's wife committed suicide in 2008. Burns' wife, Patricia . 28, 2021 7:50 am611d ago, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Mar. Attorneys for Jerry Burns, convicted of the 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko, are continuing to fight DNA evidence they say the trial court erred in not supressing. Denlinger had to consider that Michelle could have been murdered by a stranger. Sonny arrives at his restaurant and gives Dex, who is there, the night off. Unfortunately, this led the police nowhere at the time and the case gradually got cold. The case was solved, but there were lingering questions about Jerry Burns. 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. Almost 40 years later, with the help of DNA Technology, the culprit was nabbed and justice was finally served to Martinko and her grieving family. [9] She was fully dressed, and the medical examiner determined she had not been sexually assaulted. "I asked Jerry, 'Did you do the crime?' Powered by. I don't exactly remember what happened, seen something about Jodi Huisentruit recently.". [38] Burns is currently imprisoned in the Anamosa State Penitentiary. Janelle Stonebraker, Michelle's older sister, thinks that by fighting so vehemently that the suspect wounded himself and left his DNA behind, Michelle contributed to the investigation into her own murder. More than 40 years after Jerry Lynn Burns stabbed Michelle Martinko to death, a family and a community has closure. The defense requested the case be declared a mistrial as a result, but the judge denied the request and asked the prosecutor to rephrase the question. This revealed everything, and Burns was ultimately declared guilty of first-degree murder. When Burns disposed of the straw, the investigator collected it and tested it for DNA. [9] After the event, she asked her friend and twirling squad teammate if she wanted to join her on a shopping trip to the Westdale Mall, which had recently opened, and where Martinko worked. There is no known DNA evidence tying Burns to the Huisentruit case and no evidence that he knew Jodi Huisentruit. UPDATE: Trial set for Iowa man accused in 1979 killing of Michelle Martinko . Fifty-five-year-old Brian "Farmer" Burns was reported missing to the Delaware County Sheriff's Office in Manchester, Iowa, on Friday, Dec. 20, 2013, and the sheriff's office is asking for the public's help in locating him. A spot of blood on the dress had a full male DNA profile and was consistent with the male DNA profile found on the gear shift. Her killer will go undetected for almost 40yrs! Accountability doled out to suspects. One to comment on this story hope that this case would be solved, '' Jerman said in a Wednesday. 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