18-year-old Michelle Martinko was killed Dec. 19, 1979, Subscribe to the Public Safety newsletter. It was really scary, those three or four weeks, just because I knew that I had not been involved in any crime. Burns left the drinking straw behind. Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, was charged with first-degree murder and is scheduled to appear Thursday in Linn County Court. Investigators then narrowed down family trees of great grandparents to a first cousin and then Burns and his two brothers. The police chief at the time, Ray Baker, said the fatal stabbing "outraged the whole community.". The family never gave up hope that this case would be solved. It took around a month for police to process Usry's DNA to see if it matched the DNA from the crime scene. COLD CASE: Burns denies involvement with Huisentruit - KWWL I don't know why this upsets people. She was a beautiful singer, and I miss all this. Jerry Burns, convicted of killing Michelle Martinko, says Investigators matched the male profile at the crime scene to DNA on a straw Burns left behind at a Manchester Pizza Ranch. Jerry Lynn Burns appeared in the Linn County Courthouse today for a preliminary hearing as his lawyer looked to get evidence against him suppressed ahead of the trail. She was seen inside the mall by friends and coworkers because Martinko worked in the mall. Burns, 66, was arrested at his Manchester, Iowa, business on Dec. 19, 2018 the 39th anniversary of Martinko's death and charged with first-degree murder in Martinko's slaying. Her family shares the story you've never heard and pleads for your help. 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. All Rights Reserved. Tyler Davis can be contacted at tjdavis@dmreg.com or on Twitter @TDavisDMR. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get exclusive subscriber content and more at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal. A man named Brian Dripps, who was her neighbor, was charged with rape and murder and will go on trial in 2021. Add newsletters@thegazette.comto your contacts. More than 60 were tested and cleared. Burns also built himself a new home on his parents' land and opened a gas station and convenience store nearby. In 2006, a new cold case investigator working for the Cedar Rapids Police Department was tipped with an update. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nicholas Maybanks speaks at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. ", 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. Follow the Register on Facebook and Twitter for more news. William Brangham 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. Familial matches let them narrow down the suspect list to three brothers from Manchester, Iowa. He pointed out that Martinko's sister and brother-in-law said Martinko didn't take organ lessons; Carma Lou's House of Music wasn't in Westdale; and none of the many witnesses who testified at trial about seeing Martinko at the mall that night never mentioned it. The Kennedy High School senior had drivento the mall after a school choir banquet to shop for a new winter coat. 2023 The Gazette | All Rights Reserved. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Around 4 a.m., Martinko was found inside her familys Buick Electra. 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. ", 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 an interview with the Des Moines Register, Laymon called the arrest "amazing" news and said she was relieved. This is part of our regular series on the Leading Edge of science and technology. 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 Until now, Stonebraker said. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. But you can't cancel your genome. Burns pleaded not guilty at his February 2020 trial but the jury deliberated just three hours and returned a guilty verdict. What we know about Jerry Burns and the woman he's Jerry Burns sentenced to life for killing Michelle Martinko in 1979 Burns Sentenced To Life In Prison For Martinko Murder, Plans To The final nail in the coffin was when a witness gave his statement to the court. A witness testified he signed this image from a newspaper article In December 1979, Martinko, a high school senior who was on the twirling squad at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, went to the recently opened Westdale Mall after her choir banquet at school to buy a new winter coat. Police retrieved the straw. It was a case,Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said, "that has haunted our community for decades. He faces a first-degree murder charge after investigators say they found his blood at the crime scene. 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 Delaware CountySheriff John Leclere saidauthorities "don't have any reason to suspect (Burns) in either case.". Burns pleaded not guilty at his February 2020 trial but the jury deliberated just three hours and returned a guilty verdict. Detectives found no weapon or fingerprints to identify a suspect and said Martinko had not been robbed. I feel bad for the victims family becausetheyve been wondering every day of their life what happened to their daughter," Russ Wright, who served Burns nearly every day at a local BP gas station, said last December. If found guilty of his first-degree murder charges, 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. The Gazette has been informing Iowans with in-depth local news coverage and insightful analysis for 140 years. There is someone here who either knows more than they are willing to admit or knows something that they dont realize is important. More:Iowa community tries to reconcile a cold case arrest and its long history with a neighbor. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Michelle Martinko slaying: Jerry Burns' found guilty of murder in He joined the flagship PBS program in 2015, after spending two years with PBS NewsHour Weekend in New York City. WebJerome Monahan Burns (January 24, 1927 May 12, 2021) was an American college and professional football coach. And then it takes a few days for it to upload and analyze, and I just kind of forgot about it. YOUR DESCRIPTION HAS REACHED THE LIMIT OF CHARACTERS ALLOWED AND WAS CUT. In 2018, Jerry Lynn Burns was finally arrested and charged with the teen's murder and, although it had been decades after the crime, the once cold case is now a subject of discussion on A&E's Killer Cases. 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. The teen was stabbed 29 times, according to testimony. Heretrievedit after Burns left it behind, according to search warrants. Experts in 2018built a male profile based on DNA left at the scene of Martinko's death. Teen Michelle Martinko was stabbed to death in 1979. But more than 60 suspects were eliminated and the case ran cold. And, more importantly, the decisions that you make about your genomic privacy can be overridden by anybody, not only in your immediate family tree. He previously co-owned a truck stop near town. The brothers were eliminated as suspects during the investigation. In June the following year police released a sketch of a white man, in his late teens or early twenties, and around 6ft tall, on interviews with two witnesses. Please logout and login again. She thinks this new crime-fighting tool is a great thing. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/a-father-took-an-at-home-dna-test-his-son-was-falsely-accused-of-murder. Burns denied killing Martinko at the time of his initial questioning. Considering Retiring From The Practice of Law? The tribute says that Patricia Burns had three children, one son and two daughters. Where Is Jerry Lynn Burns Now? 'Killer Cases' Explores His Jerry Burns Sentenced to Life in Prison for Michelle NewsHour regrets the error. WebJerry Lynn Burns Jerry Burns appeals his conviction for murder in the first degree. 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 His family and friends remained seated after Martinkos family left the courtroom. "I am thrilled for her sister, Janelle, and wish her parents were alive to see this," Laymon said. Burns, 65, has been charged with first-degree murder for the 1979 killing of Michelle The wait ended Monday, when a jury convicted Jerry Lynn Burns of first-degree murder in the 1979 stabbing death of 18-year-old Martinko. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Iowa community tries to reconcile a cold case arrest and its long history with a neighbor, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. If found guilty of his first-degree murder charges, he'll face life in prison. They then used genealogical data as well as a covertly collected DNA sample from Burns to positively identify him, authorities said. "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. 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. District Associate Judge Casey D. Jones set Burns' bond at $5 million on Dec. 20, 2018. DAVENPORT, Ia. 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. She was stabbed and killed 39 yrs ago today in the Westdale Mall parking lot. Jerry Lynn Burns faces a first degree murder charge in the killing 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. Burns' trial attracted national attention because the cold case was solved after 39 years due in large part to DNA evidence and genetic genealogy. GUILTY - IA - Michelle Martinko, 18, stabbed to By the time of Burns' arrest, both of Martinko's parents had been gone for decades: Martinko'sfather died in 1995 and her mother in 1998. Cellmate recounts multiple outbursts in Jerry Burns 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. By William Brangham, Rhana Natour, Nsikan Akpan. use of such information is a violation of people's privacy, Taking genetic genealogy sites to trial: Iowa homicide case among first of its kind to argue DNA requires search warrant, DNA leads federal investigators to suspected serial killer in Iowa; Clark Perry Baldwin charged with killing 3 women in 1990s, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. ", "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. After her dad died, Brandy Jennings, like millions of Americans, used one of those DNA testing kits to learn more about him and other relatives. Although Burns' conviction and sentencing is clear and he is now in prison, his legal team has continued to assert his innocence and overturn the verdict. 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. You can't edit your genome. Jerry Burns appeals his conviction for murder in the first degree. ", "This is Michelles day," he added. Burns is being held at Linn County Jail. Murderer Jerry Lynn Burns was not caught for almost 40 years. Investigators saw Burns eating at a Pizza Ranch in Manchester. 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. Burns sentencing is likely to be scheduled for early April, though a date has notbeen set, District Judge Fae Hoover said. "The community is in shock, his friends are in shock, his family is in shock. He didn't know who or why. He Felt Like He Had Won Who Is Jerry Lynn Burns? 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. Testimony showed Burns was the major contributor of the profile - less than one in 100 billion of unrelated individuals would have the same profile, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation criminalists said. '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? After several trials and errors, the suspects were narrowed down to three brothers who had grown up in Manchester, Iowa. 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 Westdale Mall on December 19, 1979. Powered by. No match was made through that system. The sample was put into a national computer database and was used to clear more than 70 of Martinkos acquaintances, according to NBC News. In my case, it's used by the police to try to link me to a crime. Jerry Lynn Burns is accused of the 1979 cold case murder of Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Michelle Martinko: Her murderer captured by Pizza Straw 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. Now,herface and chest had been stabbed at least eight times. 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. 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. Her father died in 1995 and her mother died in 1998. Thus began the quest to finally nab Martinko's killers. Her case went cold for decades until DNA testing finally brought her family some peace and put her murderer behind bars. She says, remember, Michael Usry never tested his own DNA. Anna Spoerre covers crime and courts for the Des Moines Register. Kathleen T. Zellner Nicholas M. CurranElizabeth A. AragusRita Bettis AustenJennifer LynchNathan Freed Wessler Vera Eidelman Patrick Toomey, Sep 30, 2022 1:30 PM University of Iowa, College of Law, Levitt Audiotorium. Previous coverage:Decades after fatal stabbing, Michelle Martinko's family comes face-to-face with her alleged killer. 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. Police arrested Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, in the decades-old fatal stabbing. She had gone to the mall that night to get a coat her mother had put on layaway. Michael Usry Jr. was cleared. Copyright 2023 Distractify. (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 detective on the case, Matt Denlinger, gave me some interesting details. Spies argued that if the defense had this evidence at trial, jurors might have come back with a different verdict. Archived Supreme Court Opinions Prior to 2017, Archived Court of Appeals Opinions from 1/10/2018 to 2/7/2018, Archived Court of Appeals Opinions from 2017 and Earlier, How to Become a Qualified Court Interpreter in Iowa, Information for Current Court Interpreters, State Court Administration Organizational Chart, Submission of CLE Programs by CLE Sponsors. It was almost like a dream. WebLike all the cases I cover, Michelles was solved using forensic genealogy, which led police to Jerry Lynn Burns. After turning to GEDmatch, a commercial genetic genealogy site, investigators narrowed their suspects to three brothers, all in Iowa. 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. Subscribe to Heres the Deal, our politics First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said the information wouldn't have changed the verdict. Cedar Rapids Police Department He waited for her at the mall and apprehended her in the parking lot, according to the theory. Jerry Lynn Burns is accused of the 1979 cold case murder of Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His trial was most recently set to begin Oct. 14, but was delayed afterBurns' defense team requested additionaltime to review new evidence and witnesses. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. She can be contacted at aspoerre@dmreg.com, 515-284-8387or on Twitter at@annaspoerre. Stills of news coverage comes from Fox 28 and KCRG. (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. Chief Wayne Jerman announced that a suspect has been arrested in the 39-year old murder case involving Michelle Martinko. (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. Laymon said she and Martinko were in a self-defense class together, but added that "no amount of self-defense could have saved her from that.". But they're not upset about people getting caught. Hundreds of people were interviewed and countless leads were followed, police said a year after the slaying. 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. You can do a lot of credit card cancellations if things get into the wrong hands. Police said that they then retrieved a covert sample from Burns which was matched to blood from the scene of Martinkos murder. His ex-wife, Patricia, committed suicide in 2008, and his cousin Brian Burns astonishingly disappeared. 'A complete shock': Family of suspect in Martinko murder Cedar Rapids police then used DNA genetic genealogical research to narrow the profile "down to a specific pool of suspects, which included Burns, according to a criminal complaint.
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