Anna Spoerre covers crime and courts for the Des Moines Register. 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. For nearly 40 years, the family of slain high schooler Michelle Martinko waited for an arrest. 18-year-old Michelle Martinko was killed Dec. 19, 1979, Subscribe to the Public Safety newsletter, Caleb McCullough, Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau. Moreno said, "I would have never guessed. Stonebraker said he is sad for the Burns family and wanted to 'wish them well.. Also, we have no information about his son and daughter. Burns said 'somebody else stabbed Martinko that night. 'All of my customers today have been talking about (Burns' arrest) and how shocking it was,' Mormann told The Gazette Thursday. The 42-year-old remembers serving Burns his final cup before he was detained. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Family and friends of Jerry Burns react as Burns is sentenced at his sentencing hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. 'It seems awful shocking to me, the way I've known him,' he said of Burns' arrest. At long last, following 40 years of homicide of Michelle Martinko, Burns went to preliminary and was accused of first-degree murder. for the murder of Michelle Martinko 39 years later. Brian's disappearance remains unsolved. Burns owns a powder-coating company, Advanced Coating Concepts, in Manchester. He didn't know who or why. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns (bottom left) is seen in a photo in a 1972 West Delaware High School year book at the Manchester Public Library in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. 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. Decades after the death, he had a voice in the first-degree murder sentencing of Jerry Burns, 66, of Manchester. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. With little to no leads to go on, there was little that detectives could do to solve the case. This is the moment of reckoning for him and the moment, long awaited, of resting peace for Michelle.. Burns is being held at Linn County Jail on a $5 million cash bond. 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. 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. Manchester, IA (52057) Today. Burns is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Michelle Martinko in 1979. Any relationship to Jerry Burns who was arrested for the Michelle Martinko murder. ", Martinko's family in a statement last December credited "the work of several generations of Cedar Rapids uniformed police and detectives in bringing Mr. Burns to justice. She was found stabbed to death inside her parents' car in a mall parking lot in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 20, 1979. Martinko, who was 18, was found stabbed to death in her family's Buick in the early morning hours of Dec. 20, 1979, in the parking lot of Westdale Mall. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Jerry Burns looks toward First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks during a suppression hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids, Jan. 24. Burns was arrested Mormann said she was 'born and raised' in Manchester. 'Nobody is guilty until they prove it.'. In September 1986, the Iowa Supreme Court rejected claims made byMartinko's father that the shopping center was negligent because it did not provide "reasonable security" for his daughter, the Register reported at the time. Then for proof. Jury selection is still set to begin Feb. 10. She had gone to the mall that night to get a coat her mother had put on layaway. (Stephen Mally/The Gazette), Jerry Burns 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. Decades of technological advancements ultimately allowed experts to construct a partial male DNA profile from a blood scraping on the gear shift of the Martinko family car and a blood stain on the back of Martinkos dress. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) 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. He took his cat to the vet that morning and he was talking about getting it declawed and his cat wasn't happy with him," Wright said of Wednesday morning. All rights reserved. ", "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. (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. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. Maybanks said it's likely nobody will ever know why Burns committed the crime. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. 'And he always bought two cans of Coca-Cola and some lottery tickets. DAVENPORT, Ia. Jerry Burns was caught and tended to when his DNA matched that of some found on Martinkos articles of clothing at the hour of her crime. "Just a decent guy, hard-working man," Mitch Wendling said of Burns. 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. "It's a small community; everybody kind of knows everybody," he said. The man accused of killing a Cedar Rapids woman 40 years ago was back in court Friday for a hearing to suppress evidence. When 18-year-old Cedar Rapids, Iowa resident Michelle Martinko went missing on Dec. 19, 1979, it became a case that soon ran cold. You have permission to edit this article. ", 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.". DAVENPORT, Iowa It took more than four decades, but the man who brutally killed a Cedar Rapids high school student is poised to spend the rest of his life in jail. "Every TV was on the news.". (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. '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. 'It's kind of rocked our world,' she said. 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. 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. 563-927-3135. "I am thrilled for her sister, Janelle, and wish her parents were alive to see this," Laymon said. WebView Jerry Burns results in Marion, IA including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Reporter covering state and federal courts. Several residents lauded his professionalism and business savvy when speaking with the Register last year. "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. Prosecutors said she was stabbed to death. Mike McElliot, who was in Burns' graduating class at West Delaware High School, said the two crossed paths as adults in Dyersville, while McElliot was a mail carrier and Burns worked for John Deere. Jerry also answers to Jerry L Burns WebJerry Burns is 68 years old and was born on 12/23/1953. In a court document made public Friday, he wrote that he makes $30,000 a year. Investigators then narrowed down family trees of great grandparents to a first cousin and then Burns and his two brothers. 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. She opened her restaurant about five years ago, she said, and it has since become a local lunch spot where everyone knows everyone. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. DAVENPORT, Ia. More than 60 were tested and cleared. "I am happy Michelle finally gets justice. The suspect, identified as Jerry Lynn Burns, DOB/12-23-1953, age 64, of Manchester, Iowa, was arrested today for the crime of Murder in the First Degree. 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. Also, we have no idea about his brother and sister, and we dont know their names either. Police did question Jerry about his cousin's disappearance and about his wife Patricia, whose 2008 death was ruled a suicide. The Estimated Net worth is $80K USD $85k. First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said the information wouldn't have changed the verdict. As Becky Moreno stopped for lunch on Thursday afternoon, she reflected on growing up just down the street from Jerry Burns and his family. He was arrested Dec. 19, 2018 - on the anniversary of her death. Later, Burns sold farm implements in Dyersville at the same time McElliot was a postal carrier there. He was taken into custody in the evening. "I almost quit," she said. 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. 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. '', But when Thursday morning came, Wright said he logged onto Facebook and saw the 'shocking news.'. After listening to almost two weeks of testimony, a jury of seven women and five men returned the guilty verdict after deliberating just shy of three hours. Follow the Register onFacebookandTwitterfor updates. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover listens as First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nicholas Maybanks (not pictured) speaks at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. During an interview with the Des Moines Register, Laymon called the arrest "amazing" news and said she was relieved. '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. Jerry Burns, of Manchester, was arrested for the murder on the 39-year anniversary of her death. In any case, not a lot about his family has been unveiled at this point, because of a few private matters. (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. The case remained unsolved until Wednesday night when police announced they used DNA evidence to link Burns to the crime. Finally, Jerry Burns himself took to the stand. (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. He previously co-owned a truck stop near town. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. In any case, not a lot about his family has been unveiled at this point, because of a few private matters. At long last, in 2018, Jerry Lynn was caught and blamed for the teens manslaughter and, in spite of the fact that it had been a very long time after the wrongdoing, the once cool case is right now a subject of discussion on A&Es executioner cases. The profile found a hit with DNA from Brandy Jennings, a distant cousin, in the GEDmatch database, which is public. 'When you listen to (Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne) Jerman on the news last night, they've got him (Burns) hung already,' McElliot said. Burns is being held at Linn County Jail. The reward for information leading to an arrest in Martinkos murder was $15,000. An hour before announcing Burns arrest, police in Cedar Rapids tweeted that there had been a major development in Martinkos murder. ', l Comments: 319-398-8238; [email protected]. "We would ride up and down that road by his house and never thought anything of it," she said. 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