In January 2019, he pleaded not guilty and a trial date was set. Then for a verdict. Authorities say they were able to match Burns with DNA at the crime scene. Burns used to co-own a truck stop near town. DAVENPORT, Ia. He announced that the way in which experts drew closer getting DNA from Burns and his family members to show his DNA was found at the wrongdoing area was an encroachment of the fourth and fourteenth alterations. Add newsletters@thegazette.comto your contacts. 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. 'Never in a million years would I suspect he'd be involved in something like this,' he said. Martinko's older sister, Janelle Stonebraker, told the Des Moines Register that their family had waited years for answers. He wasn't carrying any identification at the time of his disappearance, doesn't have a driver's license, and doesn't own a car or cellular phone, making him difficult to track. "Thats why everybody in town is just like Iam: shocked.. During an interview with the Des Moines Register, Laymon called the arrest "amazing" news and said she was relieved. ", People of Manchester 'would have never guessed' Burns' arrest for Martinko murder, Iowa Republicans move forward bills to limit bathroom access for transgender students, Heroic Iowa sisters credited with saving two kids who fell through ice, Student walkouts planned statewide in protest of proposed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. With Burns having been found guilty and in prison, however, Martinko's family finally has some sense of closure. Jerry Burns, of Manchester, was arrested for the murder on the 39-year anniversary of her death. Curran said he doesn't know how police homed in on Burns, but he's not passing judgment until he hears the facts. Update, Feb. 24, 2020: Within hours of the trials closing arguments, a Scott County jury has convicted Jerry Burns of first-degree murder in the death of Michelle Martinko. Then for proof. 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. 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. 'Killer Cases' Explores His To that point in the investigation, we were confident who our perpetrator was, so we figured out the who. "But the world's a big place and we dont know anything about anybody. James was at the family business the day Jerry was first questioned by investigators and later arrested. At long last, following 40 years of homicide of Michelle Martinko, Burns went to preliminary and was accused of first-degree murder. But with 39-years later, limited information, that's a long time that's gone by. Here's the Update in His Case. Previous to Jerry's current city of Manchester, IA, Jerry Burns lived in Cedar Falls IA. 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. He said he has ordered Burns not to speak with news media. All rights reserved. Add newsletters@thegazette.comto your contacts. Wendling's father, Randy, who's knownBurns since high school, said he was "floored" by the news. Burns' lawyer requested the hearing, attempting to get pieces of evidence involving his DNA and expert testimony thrown out ahead of the February trial and determine the admissibility of the evidence. 'And he always bought two cans of Coca-Cola and some lottery tickets. 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. 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. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. 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. "She finally got justice. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. An analyst at the state crime lab said DNA from the straw matched blood found on Martinko's dress. 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. (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. From the leadership on down, they never gave up.". (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns thanks his family for their support as he makes a statement before his sentencing by Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. "I worked nights and it just freaked me out.". Cedar Rapids Police announced the arrest of Manchester resident Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, Wednesday night in connection with the 39-year-old murder of Kennedy High School senior Michelle Martinko. 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. 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. Burns is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 28. Burns' arrest prompted a round of whispering about two of his family members. Jerman, Cedar Rapids' police chief, credited police and investigators who "showed tenacity and dedication" over the four decades it took to take the case to trial, and the Linn County Attorney's Office for its role in Burns' arrest and prosecution. While waiting to Spies asked the judge to suppress part of the research Cole used to make his report, pointing out this was a very unusual case. We found 3 records for Jerry S Burns in Manchester, IA. You will begin to receive our Daily Courts & Public Safety updates. Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Sep. 12, 2021 10:48 am534d ago, Gage Miskimen Health Care and Medicine Jul. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. "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. 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. Update, Oct. 14: The trial for Jerry Burns has been officially delayed, and is now temporarily set for Feb. 10, 2020. (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. '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? "For Michelles family and friends, we know that the pain of losing a daughter, sister or friend will never go away," Jermansaid. She could hardly speak.. For nearly 40 years, the family of slain high schooler Michelle Martinko waited for an arrest. The mandatory penalty for first-degree murder in Iowa is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Burns will have the rest of his life to ask for forgiveness and beg for mercy on his soul, but if he doesn't, at least he won't get to block it out anymore. ", "This is Michelles day," he added. Jerry Lynn Burns, 66, was found guilty in February of first-degree murder in the 1979 stabbing death of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids. More:Iowa community tries to reconcile a cold case arrest and its long history with a neighbor. 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. She was found stabbed to death inside her parents' car in a mall parking lot in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 20, 1979. The Gazette is Iowas independent, employee-owned source for local, state, and national news coverage. Burns Wife Died in June 2008. Last updated May 14, 2020; details of disappearance updated. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone. His trial was most recently set to begin Oct. 14, but was delayed afterBurns' defense team requested additionaltime to review new evidence and witnesses. (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. Follow the Register onFacebookandTwitterfor updates. "Correct, I had no explanation," said Burns. After the verdict was read and court was adjourned, they stood and embraced as Martinko's friends around them wept. Until now, Stonebraker said. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. 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. "This was a brutal, violent, horrendous crime," Linn County Assistant Attorney Mike Harris said at the time. Prosecutors said she was stabbed to death. 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. Burns co-owns Advanced Coating Concepts with his son, a powder coating business and turf equipment dealer just south of Manchester. (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. Notwithstanding the way that Burns conviction and denouncing are clear and he is presently in prison, his legitimate group has continued to insist his blamelessness and upset the choice. In one of those profiles, authorities said there were fewer than one in 100 billion unrelated individuals who would have had the same profile. Over the last 39 years, shes seen Burns around town. You have permission to edit this article. This is the moment of reckoning for him and the moment, long awaited, of resting peace for Michelle.. 18-year-old Michelle Martinko was killed Dec. 19, 1979, Subscribe to the Public Safety newsletter, Caleb McCullough, Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau. Across the aisle, the benches behind Burns were packed to the brim. "No, I must not have asked properly, we were never instructed in school how to ask..they just seemed to ignore it," said Burns. Also, we have no information about his son and daughter. 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. 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. The brothers were eliminated as suspects during the investigation. Indeed, in June 2020, his legal advisor, Leon Spies, motioned for a retrial. Exactly 39 years after her death, police took a Manchester man into custody after matching his DNA to blood found at the crime scene. Defense attorney Leon Spies declined to comment immediately following the verdict. ", "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. Now,herface and chest had been stabbed at least eight times. Russ Wright, who works at Quik 'N Handi, answers a question as he sits at a table at Blue Collar Sports Bar in Manchester on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. The sisters' parents died more than 20 years ago,Albert Martinko in 1995and his wife, Janet, in 1998. Overcast. (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. Jerry Lynn Burns of Manchester has been arrested and charged with 1st degree murder in the cold case murder of 18 yr old Michelle Martinko. Jerry, who would have been 25 years old at the time of the murder, was convicted in February 2020. "I wish my parents could be here to see this.". Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. Very nice gal, you know, she was straight A student, you know, she was one we looked up to," Moreno remembered. Burns is presumed innocent, and we look forward to the evidence showing otherwise. Jerry Burns may be a hitched man, having a spouse and kids. At the time of his arrest, Burns had beenliving in Manchester, a town of about 5,000 people 45 minutes north of Cedar Rapids, for longer than Martinko's case had been cold. In June 2020, his attorney, Leon Spies, motioned for a retrial. Hiscousin, Brian Burns, vanished Dec. 19, 2013 exactly 34 years after Martinko was killed. Police did question Jerry about his cousin's disappearance and about his wife Patricia, whose 2008 death was ruled a suicide. Follow reporter Anna Spoerreon Twitter at@annaspoerre. Where Could Jerry Burns Now be? A face many patrons of the northeast Iowatavernknew was plastered on five flat screens: Jerry Burns. 2023 www.desmoinesregister.com. His family and friends remained seated after Martinkos family left the courtroom. Investigators said they arrested Burns after DNA taken from a restaurant straw he had used matched the crime scene DNA. 'From the leadership on down, they never gave up. Burns was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder on Thursday in the 1979 death of Michelle Martinko. 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 body was found in her parents' Buick, which was parked near J.C. Penney at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. Before 6th Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover sentenced Burns to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Burns, who never showed any emotion during his trial in February, gave a short statement. 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. But we are sure that it is not available and his spouses name is not available. Burns' wife, Patricia, died by suicide in 2008. (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. "If you saw him out in thepublic, he would sit there and talk with you and say 'hi' to you every time he'dseen you.". Birky said she recalled Martinko was dressed up that night and said she came from a musical banquet, according to the affidavit. Offers may be subject to change without notice. He didn't know who or why. Staff writer Erin Jordan contributed to this story. 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. 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. Leads in the case resulted in dead ends until investigatorsused a genetic genealogy website to connect Burns' DNA to the crime scene. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Jerry Lynn Burns and defense attorney Leon Spies (right) react as Sixth Judicial District Judge Fae Hoover reads Burns' sentence at a hearing at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. It lies in a 'deeply selfish, lifelong personal need. Iowa community tries to reconcile a cold case arrest and its long history with a neighbor, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. An obituary for Burns wife, Patricia, says that she died in June She was stabbed and killed 39 yrs ago today in the Westdale Mall parking lot. He previously co-owned a truck stop near town. "Everybody was so anxious last night to see a picture to make sure it was actually, you know, him," Mormann said. She was found stabbed to death inside her parents' car in a mall parking lot in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 20, 1979. Burns was arrested Wounds on the teens hands showed she fought her killer. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. 'He came in two or three times a week, always around 7:30 in the morning,' Wright said. 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. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. ", Elizabeth Laymon, who was high school friends with Martinko, said shevividly remembersthe day classmates sobbed after they learned of the stabbing. 'The community can be very proud of its law enforcement, and for the tremendous comfort and support area residents have extended to our family over the thirty-nine years since Michelle's death. 2023 www.desmoinesregister.com. It wasn't a basketball game that brought a packed house at Blue Collar Sports Bar to a hush. 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. An investigation provided the answer after all those years of who and why someone killed Martinko. 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. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette), Friends and family of Michelle Martinko react as Burns' motion for a new trial is denied at a sentencing hearing for Jerry Lynn Burns at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. 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. WebView Jerry D Burns results in Manchester, IA including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. He waited for her at the mall and apprehended her in the parking lot, according to the theory. 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. 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