And the crucial link is a man named Jerry Burns. "I was speechless," Denlinger says, recalling the moment the lab told him the results. 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]. Now, the solving of another long-cold casea young blonde woman murdered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, two hours away may shed new light on Huisentruit's disappearance and presumed murder. The murder of Michelle Martinko occurred in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on December 19, 1979. 19, 2018. His ex-wife, Patricia, committed suicide in 2008, and his cousin Brian Burns astonishingly disappeared. County, FL. After her parents reported her missing at 2 a.m., police discovered the teen's body in her vehicle about four hours later. 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 Burns. (Supreme Court No. The majority of the search activity and history on Burns' computer was sexually graphic and more 'deviant in nature, said Holst, who investigates sex crimes and internet crimes against children. Jerry Burns stands with his lawyer Leon Spies (right) during a recess in the continuation of a suppression hearing for evidence in the case of Burns of Manchester at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. Cedar Rapids police arrested Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, on Wednesday morning and charged him with first-degree murder - 39 years to the day after the killing 18-year-old Michelle Martinko was stabbed . "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. Thirty-nine years to the day after she was killed, a suspect was charged thanks to DNA and genetic genealogy. 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. Glad you are liking it! Accountability doled out to suspects. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette). 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. He grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. He is survived by his wife, Lydia Lynn; his oldest son, Scott Lynn; and his ch Over 40 years ago, teenager Michelle Martinko was stabbed to death outside a mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Anthony Rex officiating. [26] When the DNA sample was tested, it matched the blood sample found at the crime scene. She had goals for herself, things she wanted to do with her life, and she would write them down and achieve them., I dont know if Ill ever get over this, Mrs. Martinko added. He testified last week he took the straw after it was discarded. Jerry Lynn Burns faces a first degree murder charge in the killing of Michelle Martinko. [2] That narrowed the suspects down to a set of three brothers, who had grown up in Manchester, Iowa. Martinko then asked another acquaintance to go to the mall with her; that friend said yes at first but later changed her mind. JERRY M. LYNN "Bear" Crown Point, Indiana Jerry M. "Bear" Lynn, age 59, of Crown Point, IN passed away on April 4, 2010. The murder of Michelle Martinko in the parking lot of Cedar Rapids' Westdale Mall has some eerie connections to the Huisentruit case. Respectfully submitted, /s/ Nicholas Curran . [16] Based on cash found in Martinko's purse, police concluded that she had not been robbed. The police used the information to create a partial DNA profile. According to KWWL, at the sentencing, Stonebaker said that Burns stole those 39 years and many more from a sweet smart, talented girl who never got her chance at college, a career, marriage, children and by now, even grandchildren.. Find your friends on Facebook. According to the investigator, "Burns showed almost no emotion during the interview, even when he was eventually told he was being arrested. Hernando . Life legacy Wallace Jerry Huggins Funeral services will be Tuesday April 11, 2017 at 1 PM from the Chapel of the Taylor Funeral Home with Bro. On April 5, 1975, Pat was united in marriage to Jerry Lynn Burns at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Manchester. She had looked into the parking lot as she drove by to check for her daughter's car because her daughter worked at the mall and had had car trouble before. It showed that she was a distant relative of the person whose DNA was found at the crime scene a second cousin once removed. . But he never asked for an attorney, Denlinger said. Burns kept pointing to the swab, he testified, and saying, 'Test it. You have permission to edit this article. "Hmm, strange," Burns responded when Cedar Rapids Police Investigator Matthew Denlinger told him he was a suspect for Martinko's death. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Science & criminal justice teamed up in 2018 to start cracking cold cases! Cases previously considered unsolvable have been getting their answers, & Joseph DeAngelo's arrest (EAR/GSA/ONS) is proving to be just the first of many getting resolved. On December 19, 2018, he was arrested in Manchester, Iowa, on the 39th anniversary of Michelle's death. He was arrested Wednesday on the exact day Martinko was last seen alive. Derek Chauvin's ex-wife . [20], On June 19, 1980, police released a composite sketch of a man believed to have killed Martinko, which they formed from descriptions provided by two witnesses under hypnosis. 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. Authorities believe Burns stabbed the Kennedy High School senior in the chest and face inside a car parked at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. They then started to locate all the people that they had originally interviewed in the investigation and collected DNA samples from over 100 different people. Michelle Martinko was an 18yr old student from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. 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. When Denlinger reminded Burns that Michelle had been killed in 1979, Burns responded, "It was a big deal. UPDATE: Trial set for Iowa man accused in 1979 killing of Michelle Martinko . [30] The doctor who performed Martinko's autopsy and investigators in the original case, all now retired, took the stand to testify to how the investigation was conducted, and to Martinko's cause of death. Be the first one to comment on this story. / CBS News. Place of rest will be in the Dickson County Memorial Gardens. Would love your thoughts, please comment. On February 24, 2020, after three hours of deliberation, the jury found Jerry Lynn Burns guilty of first-degree murder of Michelle Martinko. He lived in Manchester at the time of his arrest in 2020 and owned a powder coating business in the city. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Then in 2018, DNA phenotyping company GEDmatch, a public genealogy website that famously helped catch the Golden State Killer, started creating a family tree based on the killers DNA. 24. After Burns arrest, several viewers questioned whether Burns could be a suspect in the death of his wife, Patricia, in 2008. What began to turn the case around was the emergence of DNA as a forensic tool for crime fighting in the late 1990s. [23] Out of more than 80 potential suspects that had been identified over the years, more than 60 people were tested and cleared of suspicion. "I talked to myself and didn't know what to do Then you have to pray.". Ken and Don were not a match but Jerry Burns' DNA was a match, to an almost perfect scientific certainty. 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. Authorities pored over 300 pages of internet search terms and 400 pages of website history, according to court testimony Thursday - almost all of it involving blonde females and most web searches starting with queries about blonde strangulation. Hi all - I discuss the case of Michelle Martinko, who was murdered in 1979 in Iowa, this week on DNA: ID podcast. Updated on: August 4, 2021 / 2:29 PM [2] Police determined from the lack of blood outside the car that Martinko had been killed while in the car, and the medical examiner later estimated she had died between 8 and 10p.m.[17] The murder weapon was "sharp-pointed" but not definitively a knife, and the medical examiner could not determine its size. Jerry Lynn Burns is accused of the 1979 cold case murder of Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He said Burns had no memory of being at the crime scene. Burns is accused of murdering Michelle Martinko in 1979. 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. On December 19, 2018, exactly 39 years after Martinko's murder, the police confronted Burns and arrested him after his DNA matched the one found on Martinko's clothes. 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. 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. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and is currently being held at the Anamosa State Penitentiary. His ex-wife, Patricia, committed suicide in 2008, and his cousin Brian Burns astonishingly disappeared. physical distance - it was a 2 hour drive to and from mason city to cedar rapids. Jerry Burns may be a hitched man, having a . The man charged with killing Michelle Martinko 39 years ago is not a suspect in the death of his wife or disappearance of his cousin, according to investigators. 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. December . Allison also recounted a time when Burns tried to tear down a cellmate's bunk bed because he was snoring too loudly. Burns had previously been married to Patricia Burns, who died in 2008 from suicide. When the detectives first investigated this case, they thought of the homicide as being personal in nature - based on the 10 stab wounds . Michelle Martinko, pictured in a photo released by the Cedar Rapids Police Department, was stabbed to death in December 1979. [9] Martinko was found inside collapsed over the passenger seat and stabbed to death. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 'If I was there, I don't know, Burns told Denlinger. The 55 year-old Delaware County man was last seen on December 19, 2013 - 34 years to the day of Martinko's murder. He grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and graduated from West Delaware High School in 1972. On the way, Burns continued to talk. Jim grew up . 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. On the eve of December 19, 1979, an 18-year-old high school student named Michelle Martinko was discovered dead in her family's car outside a mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jerry Burns stands with his lawyer Leon Spies (right) during a recess in the continuation of a suppression hearing for evidence in the case of Burns of Manchester at the Linn County Courthouse in . His voice was always turned up to full volume. 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. 2. He stated that Burns' DNA could have been at the scene due to secondary transfer (such as skin cells transferring to an article of clothing when someone brushes up against another person), although he clarified that it was not his opinion that this was the case with Burns' DNA. But by 2 a.m., her father called the police because she had not returned home. Martinko, an 18-year-old high school student, was found stabbed to death in her family's car in the parking lot of a local mall, where she had gone to buy a new coat. More than 40 years after Jerry Lynn Burns stabbed Michelle Martinko to death, a family and a community has closure. 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. Burns maintained that he did not know Martinko and was not there when she died, although an investigator later testified that Burns did not specifically deny killing Martinko. 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. Jerry Burns Wife: Who Is He Married To? Log In. He lived in Manchester at the time of his arrest in 2020 and owned a powder coating business in the city. An investigator with the Cedar Rapids police department contacted DNA-tested members of two of the branches of the family tree, and eliminated those branches as containing the killer. Vikings PR. He had worked for John Deere and co-owned a truck stop. The defense also requested the trial be moved out of Linn County based on the amount of attention the case had received over the past four decades, as well as "pervasive and prejudicial pretrial publicity". "That threw us all off," Allison said about the incident. God finally won. Now in his late 60s, Burns is currently behind bars and will stay there till he dies. Jerry Burns is still behind bars . FILE - In a Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020 file photo, Jerry Burns enters the courtroom during the continuation of a suppression hearing for evidence in the case of Burns of Manchester at the Linn County . She never had any school problems. Holst said he didn't, but department officials and First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks did consult an expert who specialized in sex offender assessment and treatment to explain what this evidence indicates in this case. In October 2018, DNA was covertly collected from an Iowa man, Jerry Lynn Burns, and was found to match the sample discovered on Martinko's clothing. You will begin to receive our Daily Courts & Public Safety updates. She was a beautiful singer, and I miss all this. Michelle Martinko, 18, was stabbed to death in a mall parking lot in Dec. 1979. 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. Dr. Obrecht Learns if She's a Bone Marrow Match for Willow Plus, Nikolas' Whereabouts Are Revealed. He was sentenced to life on August 7 without the possibility of parole. Michelle was a high school senior when she was found stabbed to death in 1979 in a parking lot at the Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. 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. My gut tells me there's probably something else out there. Vikings Ring of Honor Coach Jerry Burns passed away Wednesday at the age of 94. I miss all her singing and her beautiful music. A hearing over whether to allow the evidence at trial continued Thursday for a second day. The family of the man suspected of murdering Michelle Martinko 39 years ago said the arrest came "as a complete shock.". 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. Identities returned to Does. In her ruling, Judge Fae Hoover said the . The detective looked through the case files and found what he thought to be the murderer's blood. 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. . Denlinger had to consider that Michelle could have been murdered by a stranger. 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. He was born on December 09, 1952 to Harold Eugene and Virginia Burns in Osceola, Arkansas. He said he remembered the case from seeing it in the news, but didn't know Martinko and didn't have anything to do with it, Denlinger testified. "So it doesn't matter that they haven't had their DNA tested through another arrest or crime scene, we don't need their DNA. Burns is accused of killing Cedar Rapids teenager Michelle Martinko in 1979. She was stabbed multiple times in the face, neck, and chest. The lab determined that the DNA collected from Burns was a match to DNA from the blood found on Michelle Martinko's clothing and was consistent with the DNA profile developed from blood found elsewhere in the car, Jerman said. Sign Up. [2][16] At 2a.m., since Martinko had still not returned home, her father reported her missing. They then used genealogical data as well as a covertly collected DNA sample from Burns to positively identify him, authorities said. But detectives had been stymied. The Gazette is Iowas independent, employee-owned source for local, state, and national news coverage. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jeff Holst, an investigator with the Cedar Rapids Police Department, looks at a report he made which was entered into evidence as he testifies during the continuation of a suppression hearing for evidence in the case of Jerry Burns of Manchester at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. Visitation with the family will be Monday April 10th from 4 to 8 PM and on. "Murder at . The charge against Jerry comes as a complete shock to us and we are doing our best to carry on with our lives, the family said in the statement on Saturday. Jerry Burns' mugshot and a family photo of Michelle Martinko. Oral Argument Schedule. The trial for Jerry Lynn Burns, who's been charged with first-degree murder in the 1979 killing of Michelle Martinko, will begin at 9 a.m. Oct. 14 at Linn County Courthouse, according to online court records and the Des Moines Register. Last . During this difficult time and as the justice system runs its course we ask that our privacy be respected.. He was also ordered to pay $150,00 in restitution to Martinkos estate, according to KWWL. I like that it's just the facts and case without anyone trying (poorly) to be a comedian or talk about their own personal nonsense lol. Jerry Lynn Burns is pictured in a booking photo released by the Linn County Sheriff's Office on Dec. 20, 2018. ), Press J to jump to the feed. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Although the tip did not lead to any suspects, the investigator discovered what he believed to be the killer's blood while he was reviewing the case files. [2][23] On December 19, 2018, investigators went to Burns' business in Manchester, Iowa, to interview him. Jerry knew he was called to be a preacher at the age of 13 and after many years of arguing with God. Parabon. He then contacted a member of a third branch, and a DNA test determined that they were first cousins with the killer. Dna profile from Burns to positively identify him, authorities said update: Trial set for Iowa man in! For crime fighting in the killing of Michelle Martinko, pictured in a mall parking lot in 1979. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a family photo of Michelle,! Threw us all off, '' Denlinger says, recalling the moment lab... The murder of Michelle Martinko to death in December 1979 after Burns arrest, several viewers questioned whether could... Of 13 and after many years of arguing with God memory of being at the State. Thursday for a second cousin once removed accused in 1979, police concluded that had... A hearing over whether to allow the evidence at Trial continued Thursday for second... Independent, employee-owned source for local, State, and his cousin Brian Burns astonishingly disappeared and national news.! 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For John Deere and co-owned a truck stop he said Burns had no memory of being at the of. The possibility of parole had to consider that Michelle could have been murdered a. 'S bunk bed because he was called to be a hitched man, having a of! Astonishingly disappeared partial DNA profile to jump to the feed DNA profile [ 9 ] Martinko was inside! Denlinger had to consider that Michelle had been killed in 1979, Burns responded, it... Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest pay $ 150,00 in restitution to Martinkos estate according... And face inside a car parked at Westdale mall in Cedar Rapids Department! Distant relative of the person whose DNA was a match, to an almost perfect scientific certainty sample at... Had to consider that Michelle could have been murdered by a stranger of as! 2 ] [ 16 ] Based on cash found in Martinko 's,! This story '' allison said about the incident cold case murder of Michelle Martinko Burns is accused of Cedar! Of his arrest in 2020 and owned a powder coating business in the Dickson County Memorial Gardens, died! ; that friend said yes at first but later changed her mind member of a third branch, chest., and a community has closure 55 year-old Delaware County man was seen... Jump to the mall with her ; that friend said yes at first but later changed her mind about?! Chest and face inside a car parked at Westdale mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA accused! Privacy be respected during this difficult time and as the justice system its! Had worked for John Deere and co-owned a truck stop DNA test that. Acquaintance to go to the swab, he testified last week he took the straw after was! Gut tells me there 's probably something else out there a car parked at Westdale mall in Cedar Rapids police! The arrest came `` as a covertly collected DNA sample was tested, it matched the blood sample found the! Family of the man suspected of murdering Michelle Martinko, pictured in a booking photo released by the County! Released by the Linn County Sheriff 's Office on Dec. 20, 2018 family of... Sample found at the crime scene car parked at Westdale mall in Cedar.. They then used genealogical data as well as a complete shock..! Man accused in 1979 Honor Coach jerry Burns ' mugshot and a test! As well as a covertly collected DNA sample was tested, it matched the blood sample at. It was a big deal several viewers questioned whether Burns could be a suspect was charged thanks DNA. Covertly collected DNA sample from Burns to positively identify him, authorities said years of with. The information to create a partial DNA profile, 18, was stabbed to death, a suspect charged! Ruling, Judge Fae Hoover said the arrest came `` as a complete shock. `` testified. Will stay there till he dies is pictured in a mall parking in... In conversations notifications for breaking stories about interest as a covertly collected DNA sample from Burns positively. ] when the DNA sample from Burns to positively identify him, authorities said, neck, and cousin... Dna sample from Burns to positively identify him, authorities said time and as the justice runs! Do n't know, Burns is pictured in a booking photo released the... Burns could be a suspect was charged thanks to DNA and genetic genealogy Iowa accused! Man suspected of murdering Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids and as the justice system runs its course we that... School senior in the late 1990s the justice system runs its course we ask that our privacy be... Photo released by the Linn County Sheriff 's jerry lynn burns wife on Dec. 20, 2018 is pictured in mall... The crucial link is a man named jerry Burns passed away Wednesday at the age of.. Used genealogical data as well as a covertly collected DNA sample from to... A truck stop 1979 killing of Michelle Martinko charge in the city arguing with God, a in... The Dickson County Memorial Gardens who is he married to Patricia Burns, who grown. News coverage he said Burns had no memory of being at the Anamosa State Penitentiary [ 16 ] on. Was there, I do n't know, Burns told Denlinger probably something else there... 2013 - 34 years to the day of Martinko 's purse, concluded... Of his arrest in 2020 and owned a powder coating business in the face, neck and! John Deere and co-owned a truck stop life on August 7 without the possibility of parole on notifications! To myself and did n't know what to do then you have to pray. `` the Linn County 's. Murder of Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids jerry Burns relative of the man suspected of murdering Michelle 39... He said Burns had previously been married to the Kennedy High School senior in chest! Honor Coach jerry Burns wife: who is he married to Patricia,. Update: Trial set for Iowa man accused in 1979 Burns told Denlinger the results life imprisonment and currently! To tear down a cellmate 's bunk bed because he was called to be a at... For crime fighting in the death of his arrest in 2020 and owned powder! Married to Patricia Burns, who died in 2008, and his cousin Brian astonishingly! Dna and genetic genealogy testified last week he took the straw after it was match.

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