Copyright 2023 Distractify. The profile found a hit with DNA from Brandy Jennings, a distant cousin, in the GEDmatch database, which is public. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. She was found stabbed to death inside her parents' car in a mall parking lot in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 20, 1979. "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," she said. 'Shock, anguish and horror permeated the family them they first learned that 18-year-old Michelle Martinko was killed Dec. 19, 1979, John Stonebraker, her brother-in-law, said Friday in a videotaped victim impact statement. Across the aisle, the benches behind Burns were packed to the brim. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Be that as it may, on February 24, 2020, he was viewed as at real fault for first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. All rights reserved. She even graduated with his youngest daughter. After turning to GEDmatch, a commercial genetic genealogy site, investigators narrowed their suspects to three brothers, all in Iowa. "The daughter of Jerry was in my graduating class of '99. Burns was arrested (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns listens as First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nicholas Maybanks (not pictured) speaks at Burns' sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. The mothers name is Not Available. Spies, in his motion, said evidence of a regularly scheduled music lesson gives credence to the possibility that her attacker was familiar with her routine. Very nice gal, you know, she was straight A student, you know, she was one we looked up to," Moreno remembered. At The cold-case murder has drawn intense public interest, and Friday's hearing was livestreamed because of limited seating. Honestly, it wasnt until years afterward that experts even had a real police sketch to search for help from people in general in observing the person who killed her. Prosecutors said she was stabbed to death. "The community is in shock, his friends are in shock, his family is in shock. He was arrested Dec. 19, 2018 - on the anniversary of her death. 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. Police found Martinko's body in her parents' tan 1972 Buick at Cedar Rapids Westdale Mall parking lot around 4 a.m. on Dec. 20, 1979. "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. James was at the family business the day Jerry was first questioned by investigators and later arrested. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. (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. An Iowa man was on Friday sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole in the 1979 murder of an 18-year-old high school student. A face many patrons of the northeast Iowatavernknew was plastered on five flat screens: Jerry Burns. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. He was taken into custody in the evening. MANCHESTER, Ia. Investigators then narrowed down family trees of great grandparents to a first cousin and then Burns and his two brothers. 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. WebJerry Burns in Manchester, IA. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), 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. In one of those profiles, authorities said there were fewer than one in 100 billion unrelated individuals who would have had the same profile. Investigators matched the male profile at the crime scene to DNA on a straw Burns left behind at a Manchester Pizza Ranch. This is the moment of reckoning for him and the moment, long awaited, of resting peace for Michelle.. He rebutted some of the prosecution's factual claims, insisting that there wasn't substantial evidence that Burns' DNA was retrieved from his blood, noting previous testimony indicating it could have been saliva or even transferred skin cells and that the presence of DNA in itself could not implicate Burns. "This was a brutal, violent, horrendous crime," Linn County Assistant Attorney Mike Harris said at the time. The Gazette is Iowas independent, employee-owned source for local, state, and national news coverage. The music books either were dropped somewhere police didn't searched or the killer disposed of them, he said. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Distractify is a registered trademark. ", Our first look at Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, of Manchester after he was arrested this morning for first-degree murder in the 1979 homicide case of Michelle Martinko.Burns will appear in Linn County District Court tomorrow morning. In a court document made public Friday, he wrote that he makes $30,000 a year. How Old Is Jerry Burns? In January 2019, he pleaded not guilty and a trial date was set. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Decades after the death, he had a voice in the first-degree murder sentencing of Jerry Burns, 66, of Manchester. pic.twitter.com/0rGdwIk89N. 'Nobody is guilty until they prove it.'. The teen was stabbed 29 times, according to testimony. Heretrievedit after Burns left it behind, according to search warrants. But we are trying hard to collect all the information about him and will update you soon. The Estimated Net worth is $80K USD $85k. Burns sentencing is likely to be scheduled for early April, though a date has notbeen set, District Judge Fae Hoover said. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Advanced Coating Concepts at 1608 230th Street in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. With Burns having been found guilty and in prison, however, Martinko's family finally has some sense of closure. 'I was happy when I heard the case was solved, but it was a punch in the gut to hear it was someone from the community. A retired teacher, John Curran, of Manchester, said he knows Burns from Bob Stephen Motors, a Manchester car dealership where the men occasionally would see each other and talk. Andy Seidel Now: Where is Michelle Martinko's Boyfriend Toda To that point in the investigation, we were confident who our perpetrator was, so we figured out the who. His Girlfriend/boyfriends name is Not Available. 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. "We left Cedar Rapids, but Cedar Rapids never left us," he said, choking up outside the courthouse while his wife nodded in agreement. 'The Dating Game' Killer Was Active for Almost 10 Years Before He Was Caught, Angie Dodge's Killer Evaded Capture for Over 20 Years, Where Is Convicted Murderer Jeffrey MacDonald Now? She could hardly speak.. The judge is expected to make a final ruling on what evidence is admissible and if any will be suppressed sometime next week. They graduated in 1972. Exactly 39 years after her death, police took a Manchester man into custody after matching his DNA to blood found at the crime scene. For those who knew Burns well, the idea that their friend could have killed an 18-year-old woman 39 years ago is a hard pill to swallow. In fact, it wasn't until years later that authorities even had a proper police sketch to seek help from the public in locating the man who killed her. ", 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.". That made his arrest hard to believe. Burns' attorneys claimed the case has been surroundedby "pervasive and prejudicial pretrial publicity" and has been in the public eye for the past four decades,court filings show. Hiscousin, Brian Burns, vanished Dec. 19, 2013 exactly 34 years after Martinko was killed. 'Mr. When the father of three did stop in, Wright said they would make small talk, chatting about work and plans for the day. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. Authorities say they were able to match Burns with DNA at the crime scene. '', But when Thursday morning came, Wright said he logged onto Facebook and saw the 'shocking news.'. District Associate Judge Casey D. Jones set Burns' bond at $5 million on Dec. 20, 2018. Police never came into the shop, he said, and no law enforcement officers ever contacted him or asked him about Burns. That was ultimately how investigators found Burns' after creating a DNA profile from a bloodstain on the back of Martinko's dress. "I wish my parents could be here to see this. Four decades ago, 18-year-oldMichelle Marie Martinko was found stabbed to death in the family's car in the parking lot of a Cedar Rapids mall. 28, 2022 3:07 pm245d ago, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Jan. 21, 2021 2:38 pm768d ago, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 6:39 pm13h ago, Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 5:22 pm14h ago, Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 5:19 pm14h ago, Jeff Linder High School Basketball Feb. 28, 2023 10:50 pm9h ago, High School Basketball Feb. 28, 2023 10:30 pm9h ago, High School Basketball Feb. 28, 2023 10:37 pm9h ago. "I am thrilled for her sister, Janelle, and wish her parents were alive to see this," Laymon said. All Rights Reserved. "At this point did you believe investigator Denlinger was honoring your request for a lawyer," said Spies as he read through the transcript. 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. Burns' sentence also included that he wouldn't be eligible for parole. The man accused of killing a Cedar Rapids woman 40 years ago was back in court Friday for a hearing to suppress evidence. Jerry Lynn Burns (born December 23, 1953 [13]) 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. Overcast. The Gazette is Iowas independent, employee-owned source for local, state, and national news coverage. Burns' DNA profile was developed from blood on Martinko's black dress. With little to no leads to go on, there was little that detectives could do to solve the case. 'And he always bought two cans of Coca-Cola and some lottery tickets. Burns is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Michelle Martinko in 1979. Until now, Stonebraker said. It makes you question how someone could live here in this community for all these years and possibly have done something like this.'. Jerry Burns Wife: Who Is He Married To? Russ Wright works the registerin the building Burns built. Jerry Burns, 66, of Manchester, was arrested in Dec. 19 2018, 39 years to the day after Michelle Martinko was found dead in her parents car outside a shopping mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jury selection is still set to begin Feb. 10. "His first wife's death was a suicide, so he was talked to, but it was clearly a suicide," said the sheriff of 18 years. MANCHESTER Wednesday started out just like any other day in Manchester but little known to the locals, news would surface that evening that would leave the community shrouded in questions. Stonebrakersat in the front row of the courtroom, flanked by her husband, John, and oldest son, Robert. He previously co-owned a truck stop near town. Maybanks also choose not to resist the defense's request that the trial be moved out of the eastern Iowa county where the alleged crime took place. In a court document made public Friday, he wrote that he makes $30,000 a year. She had gone to the mall that night to get a coat her mother had put on layaway. Within days ofMartinko's killing, police received more than 200 phone calls and letters from people who wanted to help, according to Des Moines Register archives. 'You'll never convince me he did something like that.'. But we are sure that it is not available and his spouses name is not available. Chief Jerman said Wednesday night that Martinko's family now could take comfort in knowing a murder arrest had been made, and for Martinko's sister Janelle Stonebraker and her husband John Stonebraker, an arrest in the case was something to be grateful for. Then, in 2018, police used new DNA technology that hadn't been available in 1979 or even the '80s, when the composite sketch was released, to zero in on Burns and arrest him for Martinko's murder. She can be contacted at aspoerre@dmreg.com, 515-284-8387or on Twitter at@annaspoerre. Follow reporter Anna Spoerreon Twitter at@annaspoerre. Martinko, a high school senior, was murdered in the parking lot of the Westdale Mall in 1979. 'You have to go with the evidence,' he said. The accused turned out to be another Iowan native, Jerry Lynn Burns. Who Is Jerry Lynn Burns? Born in 1953, Jerry Lynn Burns grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. He would have been around 25-years-old when he killed Michelle Martinko in December of 1979. A pathologist said the fatal stab wound was to her heart and that she bled to death. "The people in law enforcement take on their duty and their task seriously," Maybanks told the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network,afterthe verdict. "We thought it was extremely probative. 'It seems awful shocking to me, the way I've known him,' he said of Burns' arrest. According to an affidavit, Birky, in a phone interview with an investigator who works for Spies, said she had been giving organ lessons to Martinko in 1979 at 'Carma Lou's House of Music. Martinko had lessons between 8:30 and 9 p.m., Birky said. "I was 15 years old and when that happened my dad said, 'alright, no more shopping at Westdale Mall,' and, you know, we were just so scared," Mormann said. Ever contacted him or asked him about Burns he killed Michelle Martinko in December of 1979 front! 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