Jerry Lynn Burns, the suspect in the 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko, makes a court appearance via video in Linn County, Iowa, Dec. 20, 2018. This revealed everything, and Burns was ultimately declared guilty of first-degree murder. This narrowed down the possible suspects to three brothers - Ken, Don, and Jerry Burns. Jerry Lynn Burns appeared in Linn County this morning on a video monitor from jail where he had his bail set at $5 million. Murderer Jerry Lynn Burns was not caught for almost 40 years. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Burns was arrested on Dec. 19, 2018. She was stabbed 29 times in the face, neck, and chest. 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. Jerry Burns on Trial AP Jerry Burns of Manchester, Iowa, is led into the courtroom during closing arguments for his trial at the Scott County Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. But the software he used allowed him to review history and activity only to January 2018. Mail, proper postage prepaid, addressed to Jerry L. Burns, No. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, SpaceX launches new crew on flight to space station, Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Several hospitalized after Lufthansa flight diverted to Dulles due to turbulence, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Sneak peek: Murder at the Mall: The Michelle Martinko Case, Michelle Martinko, left, and Jodi Huisentruit. While that tip did not yield any new leads, it did cause Det. Jerry Burns mentioned Jodi by name while speaking to an investigator shortly before his arrest. JERRY LYNN BURNS, Defendant-Appellant. Authorities believe Burns stabbed the Kennedy High School senior in the chest and face inside a car parked at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. "That was big, national news," said Denlinger. Ha ha. Rumors began to circulate about the crime. The victim, Martinko, was an 18-year-old high school student from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who was visiting a mall to buy a winter coat. Doug Larison to reexamine the file and find what he believed to be the killers DNA in blood found on Martinkos dress that was not her blood. [2] A police spokesman said that "everyone's instinct is to say it was a guy", but they were not sure of the sex of the killer. Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Sep. 12, 2021 10:48 am535d ago, Gage Miskimen Health Care and Medicine Jul. KWQC He grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. The trial was then moved to February 2020. The Cedar Rapids teenager was found stabbed to death in her parents car parked at Westdale Mall. GEDmatch returned one person who shared DNA markers with the suspect in Martinko's murder, and it determined her to be likely the killer's second cousin once removed. [10] She wore a black jersey dress and black scarf, black tights and heels, and a waist-length white and brown rabbit fur jacket, and she carried a brown leather purse. The final nail in the coffin was when a witness gave his statement to the court. 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. UPDATE: Trial set for Iowa man accused in 1979 killing of Michelle Martinko . In 2006, a new cold case investigator working for the Cedar Rapids Police Department was tipped with an update. He is survived by his wife, Lydia Lynn; his oldest son, Scott Lynn; and his ch Jerry Lynn Burns granted independent journalist, Steve Ridge, an exclusive Christmas Eve interview, in which Burns also said he will seek a new trial in the Martinko murder. Burns coached the Minnesota Vikings from 1986-91. [2][16] At 2a.m., since Martinko had still not returned home, her father reported her missing. Vikings Ring of Honor Coach Jerry Burns passed away Wednesday at the age of 94. Burns made an initial court appearance via video Thursday morning and said he would fill out an application for a court-appointed counsel. Please logout and login again. Glad you are liking it! The victim was the younger of two daughters of Albert and Janet Martinko. Some thought that Martinko had received harassing phone calls before her death, but police stated that they did not think so. A struggle followed in which Michelle was stabbed and sliced by a knife almost 30 times in a horrific murder that police initially believed had to be a crime of passion. Anthony Rex officiating. Jerry Lynn Burns (defendant-appellant), which is before the Iowa Supreme Court. He grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. Burns told the investigator about 25 times to test him, Denlinger said. The family of Jerry Burns would like to thank our friends and the Manchester community for the support we have received since Jerrys arrest, read the familys statement. But he never asked for an attorney, Denlinger said. What we know about Jerry Burns and the woman he's accused of killing 40 years earlier Dec 19, 2019/ updated Feb 17, 2020 Four decades ago, 18-year-old Michelle Marie Martinko was found stabbed to death in the family's car in the parking lot of a Cedar Rapids mall. She had been stabbed 21 times in the face, neck, and chest. The murder of Michelle Martinko occurred in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on December 19, 1979. Oral Argument Schedule. He lived in Manchester at the time of his arrest in 2020 and owned a powder coating business in the city. 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. In earlier testimony, Matthew Denlinger, a Cedar Rapids police investigator who testified last week, was recalled to testify about Burns' interview with police Dec. 19, 2018. You have permission to edit this article. According to court documents, a judge has ruled internet search history from the man accused in a 1979 murder will not be able to be used during trial. A Manchester man convicted of first-degree murder has announced he has hired a new attorney who will seek to exonerate him of the crime, a private investigator has told the Manchester Press . Identities returned to Does. His voice was always turned up to full volume. Sonny arrives at his restaurant and gives Dex, who is there, the night off. Jerry Burns, of Manchester, is led into a courtroom at the Scott County Courthouse in Davenport for closing arguments in his murder trial in February 2020. Your login session has expired. "I am thrilled for her sister, Janelle, and wish her parents were alive to see this," Michelle Martinko's high school friend, Elizabeth Laymon, told The Des Moines Register. She was a beautiful singer, and I miss all this. Powered by. The sketch looked like a man in his 20s, weighing 165-175 pounds, and standing at around 6 feet. They . 20-1150 APPEAL FROM THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT FOR LINN COUNTY HONORABLE FAE E. HOOVER . In recent years, authorities began taking a closer look at a man named Jerry Burns, who was arrested and convicted in the 1979 abduction and murder of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko. Last week, a police investigator explained how using a public genealogy database - called GEDmatch - led to Burns being identified as a match to the DNA evidence found on Martinko's dress and gearshift of her car, where her body was found Dec. 20, 1979. [9] The killer left no fingerprints, which led police to believe they had worn gloves. Grab your popcorn & get comfy as we dive into some dusty old cases revitalized thanks to genetic genealogy (& a bit of good ol' fashioned detective work! Updated on: August 4, 2021 / 2:29 PM On April 5, 1975, Pat was united in marriage to Jerry Lynn Burns at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Manchester. "Hmm, strange," Burns responded when Cedar Rapids Police Investigator Matthew Denlinger told him he was a suspect for Martinko's death. The Vikings organization is mourning the loss of the innovator, colorful . Denlinger then told him he had a search warrant for his DNA. The DNA was uploaded to the law enforcement database called Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, but investigators never found a match, police said. During the trials, Burns was found to contradict his own statements. At the time of arrest, Burns had his own power-coating company called Advanced Coating Concepts. Denlinger told him authorities would come back to talk to him after they got the results of the DNA test. The detective, Denlinger, told me that he believes Jerry Burns has been reliving the murder in his fantasies ever since, but they have never been able to tie him to any other homicides. physical distance - it was a 2 hour drive to and from mason city to cedar rapids. The Delaware County Sheriff's Office says Brian Burns remains an active missing person case but, at this point, has no link to his cousin. (Supreme Court No. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? His ex-wife, Patricia, committed suicide in 2008, and his cousin Brian Burns astonishingly disappeared. 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. Dr. Obrecht Learns if She's a Bone Marrow Match for Willow Plus, Nikolas' Whereabouts Are Revealed. 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. I couldnt have said it better myself, and Im the podcaster! [24], In 2018, the DNA phenotyping company took the data they had collected the year before and entered it into GEDmatch, a public genealogy website that has been used by law enforcement to solve other cold cases, most famously that of the Golden State Killer. Hi all - I discuss the case of Michelle Martinko, who was murdered in 1979 in Iowa, this week on DNA: ID podcast. [33] Prosecutors called a criminalist to contradict the defense's witness; the criminalist said that the storage of Martinko's clothing was not unusual. Jerry retired from the Army National Guard and retired as a Master Plumber. She was seen inside the mall by friends and coworkers because Martinko worked in the mall. He may be one of the relatively rare "one and done" killers that we have learned about now that we have vastly improved DNA analysis technology. Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, of Manchester, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder on Wednesday, nearly 40 years after the brutal murder of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko in the parking lot of . Burns repeatedly said he didn't know how his DNA was found at the crime scene. It was a cold case until 2018, when familial DNA identified a suspect 39 years after the crime who was charged, tried and convicted of her murder.[2]. Jerry was born May 22, 1944, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to Fred Richard Lynn and Mary Ellen Manning and passed away on July 10, 2022. The 55 year-old Delaware County man was last seen on December 19, 2013 - 34 years to the day of Martinko's murder. Tests eliminated the other two brothers as suspects, but the DNA from Burns' straw matched the blood found on Martinko's clothing. 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