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. The main argument from Burns' defense team was that the evidence used in the case from back in 1979 was mishandled at the time, but on Feb. 24, 2020, Burns was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. That made his arrest hard to believe. Burns maintained his innocence in pretrial hearings and throughout the trial, but the jury took only three hours to reach a verdict after hearing DNA evidence. For nearly 40 years, the family of slain high schooler Michelle Martinko waited for an arrest. Investigators then narrowed down family trees of great grandparents to a first cousin and then Burns and his two brothers. Investigators matched the male profile at the crime scene to DNA on a straw Burns left behind at a Manchester Pizza Ranch. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. "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. Manchester, IA (52057) Today. Advertisement Stonebraker and his wife, Janelle, Burns is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Michelle Martinko in 1979. Wiki, Biography, Age, Spouse, Net Worth, Fast Facts, Who Is David Bolt? 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. 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. (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. Follow the Register onFacebookandTwitterfor updates. All rights reserved. To that point in the investigation, we were confident who our perpetrator was, so we figured out the who. Previous to Jerry's current city of Manchester, IA, Jerry Burns lived in Cedar Falls IA. 'We talked about how he had just dropped his cat off at the vet and about his work, and he said he had a busy day ahead. Iowa community tries to reconcile a cold case arrest and its long history with a neighbor, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. Also, we have no idea about his brother and sister, and we dont know their names either. An analyst at the state crime lab said DNA from the straw matched blood found on Martinko's dress. 'Killer Cases' Explores His WebJerry Burns in Manchester, IA. 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. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover speaks at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. 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. An investigation provided the answer after all those years of who and why someone killed Martinko. Burns, who would have been 25 at the time of Martinko's death, said he could not offer a "plausible explanation" forwhy his DNA was found at the crime scene, authorities said at the time of his arrest. Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Sep. 30, 2022 6:06 pm151d ago, Bailey Cichon Crime and Courts Jun. "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. When he left I told him 'Have a good day Jerry, I'll see you tomorrow. During the original investigation, detectives compiled a list of more than 80 potential suspects. We really didn't have a why, so finding the internet search history with how specific is was, we really thought that was probative," said Denlinger. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. Burns' wife, Patricia, died by suicide in 2008. Family of the man charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Michelle Martinko speaks out, says the arrest in cold case brings them joy just before Christmas. The man accused of killing a Cedar Rapids woman 40 years ago was back in court Friday for a hearing to suppress evidence. On June 19, 1980, police released a composite sketch, developed based on descriptions provided by two witnesses, of the man they believed stabbed Martinko. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns as a senior in a 1972 West Delaware High School year book at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. They just would not let it go., Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 2023 www.desmoinesregister.com. '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. The Kennedy High School senior had drivento the mall after a school choir banquet to shop for a new winter coat. 28, 2021 7:50 am610d ago, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 6:39 pm, Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 5:22 pm6h ago, Crime and Courts Feb. 28, 2023 5:19 pm6h ago, Caleb McCullough, Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau State Government Feb. 28, 2023 7:17 pm, State Government Feb. 28, 2023 6:04 pm5h ago, Jeff Linder High School Basketball 38m ago38m ago. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Cedar Rapids Police Investigator Matt Denlinger listens as First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nicholas Maybanks (out of frame) speaks at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. after he was asked if his DNA would match the DNA at the crime scene. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. He testified regarding statements made in his initial interview, saying he was trying to be corporative. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. 'He was in here (Wednesday) morning,' Wright said. You have permission to edit this article. "We left Cedar Rapids, but Cedar Rapids never left us," he said, choking up outside the courthouse while his wife nodded in agreement. Several residents lauded his professionalism and business savvy when speaking with the Register last year. "I wish my parents could be here to see this.". Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. With Burns having been found guilty and in prison, however, Martinko's family finally has some sense of closure. "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. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns and defense attorney Leon Spies (right) listen to Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Jerry Burns, of Manchester, was arrested for the murder on the 39-year anniversary of her death. "The community is in shock, his friends are in shock, his family is in shock. Spies argued that Burns never consented to his DNA being collected from a straw left behind at a Pizza Ranch or to be found through an ancestry site. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. Indeed, in June 2020, his legal advisor, Leon Spies, motioned for a retrial. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. John Stonebraker said the three hours it took the jury to reach a verdict was indicative of the strength of the case. Next Spies and the state will submit written statements to the judge outlining what evidence should or should not make it into next month's trial. She wasn't crying so much as gasping, choking. If you know some information, please comment below. 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. In any case, not a lot about his family has been unveiled at this point, because of a few private matters. The gentleman that had been a customer of mine and what Iconsidered a friend ever since I'd been employed here, its just I never thought in a million years somebody like that could" kill someone,he said. For Michelle Martinko murder suspect Jerry Burns, Timeline: What we know about Michelle Marie Martinko's death and investigation, Friend 'happy Michelle finally gets justice' after police make arrest in Martinko killing, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. At this moment, Burns, in any case, stays behind the bars. Russ Wright works the registerin the building Burns built. This is something that affects the whole community, and everybody wants answers. The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. Puro cash':Latinos are opening more small businesses than anyone else in the US, Julian Assange:Why he matters more than you think. 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. Hiscousin, Brian Burns,vanished Dec. 19, 2013 exactly 34 years after Martinko was killed. She said he lives and operates a business just five miles from her house. 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. Jerry LynnBurns, 65, is set to face a jury in February, bringing momentum to a case that was left cold for years. When the news broke Wednesday evening, Mormann said people in Manchester were calling each other, and waiting anxiously to learn more. Maybanks noted that even though Martinko interacted with at least half a dozen friends the night of her death, including at the mall, none of their DNA was found at the crime scene. 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. That was ultimately how investigators found Burns' after creating a DNA profile from a bloodstain on the back of Martinko's dress. (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. CEDAR RAPIDS - The Martinko family lived without answers for 39 Christmases. Police never came into the shop, he said, and no law enforcement officers ever contacted him or asked him about Burns. However,l the state pointed out that Burns' never reached out to his family to ask for DNA privacy or to avoid using public online databases such as GEDmatch. Authorities say they were able to match Burns with DNA at the crime scene. She affirmed her rulings made before and during trial regarding the defense's motion. 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. WebJerry Burns is 68 years old and was born on 12/23/1953. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. Here's the Update in His Case. After turning to GEDmatch, a commercial genetic genealogy site, investigators narrowed their suspects to three brothers, all in Iowa. Leclere said Burns was never considered a suspect in his cousin's missing-person investigation. 'Nobody is guilty until they prove it.'. They stated they had no evidence to implicate him in Brian's case and no evidence that Patricia's death was not suicide. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Day 3, Jerry Burns takes witness stand in Martinko hearing, Man accused of killing Michelle Martinko begins hearing to suppress evidence, Day 2 of hearing to suppress evidence in Michelle Martinko murder case, Linn Co. Sheriffs office investigating Hwy. 'When you listen to (Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne) Jerman on the news last night, they've got him (Burns) hung already,' McElliot said. Overcast. Martinkowas found dead in her parents' Buickin the parking lot of Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids early on the morning of Dec. 20, 1979, curled onto the passenger seat floorboard, stabbed multiple times and bloodied from the wounds she sustained," first assistant Linn County attorney Nick Maybanks previously told jurors. We cant say their name. 'Janelle and I are very pleased and grateful for the work of several generations of Cedar Rapids uniformed police and detectives in bringing Mr. Burns to justice,' John Stonebraker said in a statement to The Gazette. The man accused, Jerry Burns of Manchester, is charged with 1st-degree murder for the death of Michelle Martinko, a Kennedy High School senior at the time of her death. "At this point did you believe investigator Denlinger was honoring your request for a lawyer," said Spies as he read through the transcript. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns (on left page, third picture from the top and third picture from the left) part of the senior class in a 1972 West Delaware High School year book at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. For nearly 40 years, the family of slain high schooler Michelle Martinko waited for an arrest. 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. The sketch indicated a white man in his late teens or early 20s, weighing between 165 and 175 pounds, and standing about 6 feet tall. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. "Ialso feel bad for, you know, his current family and friends because now they have to go through all this as well. The judge is expected to make a final ruling on what evidence is admissible and if any will be suppressed sometime next week. (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. Recalling telling investigators, "I don't know, test it." All Rights Reserved. Where Is Jerry Lynn Burns Now? We found 3 records for Jerry Burns in Manchester, IA. Distractify is a registered trademark. 'He came in two or three times a week, always around 7:30 in the morning,' Wright said. Birky said she recalled Martinko was dressed up that night and said she came from a musical banquet, according to the affidavit. "I worked nights and it just freaked me out.". ", 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.". They are in relation from previous few years of a strong relationship. The mandatory penalty for first-degree murder in Iowa is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. It makes you question how someone could live here in this community for all these years and possibly have done something like this.'. "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. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. 'This is something that affects the whole community,' he said, 'and everybody wants answers.'. She even graduated with his youngest daughter. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns (center) is seen as a senior in a 1972 West Delaware High School year book at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. "I just cant imagine how you could live here all this time and carry on a normal life with that big secret," Mormann said. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns (lower right) is seen in a picture on a graduation spread in a 1972 West Delaware High School year book at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns listens as Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover (not pictured) speaks at his sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. ", Jackie Mormann has lived in Manchester her whole life and remembers vividly when. The Jan. 28, 2021 episode also sheds light on the trial that led to Burns' sentencing and how he still denied having anything to do with the murder, to the best of his knowledge, leading up to it. 'We've also had a lot of customers come in from out of town and a lot of them asked about it.'. Aug. 7, 2020 6:12 pm, Updated: Aug. 7, 2020 8:23 pm. The investigator reported Birky said the lessons were once a week; although she wasn't sure which day of the week they were, she recalled the last lesson was the night Martinko was killed outside the mall. Burns' trial attracted national attention because the cold case was solved after 39 years due in large part to DNA evidence and genetic genealogy. 'And he always bought two cans of Coca-Cola and some lottery tickets. DAVENPORT, Ia. Burns was convicted of 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. 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. In December 2018, Brian's cousin, Jerry Burns, who also lived in Manchester, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko. WebJerry Burns is 68 years old and was born on 12/23/1953. 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. "Nice family.". 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. Moreno said, "I would have never guessed. 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. From the leadership on down, they never gave up.". Tyler Davis can be reached attjdavis@registermedia.comor on Twitter@TDavisDMR.

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