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. ", 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. Spies asserted that the way authorities went about obtaining DNA from Burns and his family members to prove his DNA was found at the crime scene was a violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. The media showed up and then it was real. Martinko was a senior at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids. You can't edit your genome. IN THE SUPREME COURT OF IOWA COLD CASE: Burns denies involvement with Huisentruit - KWWL It's becoming such a powerful crime-fighting tool. Powered by. (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. READ NEXT: Serial Killers Ex Thinks There Were More Victims, Parents of Murdered Teenager Did Not Live to See Her Killer Brought to Justice, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. And then police learned Usry had traveled through Idaho. Burns is being held at the Linn County jail on a $5 million cash-only bond. But, months later, Jennings was shocked to learn that police had used her DNA information from that public Web site, and used a technique called genetic genealogy to identify the killer in a 40-year-old cold case in Iowa. Dateline: Unforgettable - How did the police find Jerry Lynn Burns 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. William Brangham is a correspondent and producer for PBS NewsHour in Washington, D.C. If they could see some of the e-mails from these families that have had some closure, I can't imagine that anyone would say it's the wrong thing to do. Jerry Lynn Burns appeared in Linn County this morning on a video monitor from jail where he had his bail set at $5 million. He was also ordered to pay $150,00 in restitution to Martinkos estate, according to KWWL. Using newer technology, Cedar Rapids police last yearcreated profiles fromDNA procured from case evidence in 2006. The Gazette has been informing Iowans with in-depth local news coverage and insightful analysis for 140 years. 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 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. A father took an at-home DNA test. His son was then falsely - PBS 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. 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. Burns sentencing is likely to be scheduled for early April, though a date has notbeen set, District Judge Fae Hoover said. The victim was the younger of two daughters of Albert and Janet Martinko. I uploaded it. Distractify is a registered trademark. Predictions were made for ancestry and facial features, police said. Life sentence in Michelle Martinko murder pic.twitter.com/0rGdwIk89N. Her case went cold for decades until DNA testing finally brought her family some peace and put her murderer behind bars. Michelle Martinko had planned to attend Iowa State University before her death in 1979. (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. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Police retrieved the straw. Man arrested nearly 40 years after 11, 2023 3:03 am19d ago, Trish Mehaffey Crime and Courts Sep. 12, 2021 10:48 am595d ago, Gage Miskimen Health Care and Medicine Jul. Authorities believe Burns stabbed the Kennedy High School senior in the chest and face inside a car parked at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. "I am thrilled for her sister, Janelle, and wish her parents were alive to see this," Laymon said. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette). 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. Id sit through classes where people were crying and I didnt know why, until someone finally told me. Jerry Burns, convicted of killing Michelle Martinko, says Doug Larison to reexamine the file and find what he believed to be the killers DNA in blood found on Martinkos dress that was not her blood. If found guilty of his first-degree murder charges, But her sister Janelle and Janelles husband John Stonebaker were present at Burns sentencing. New York University's Erin Murphy, who studies genetics and the law, sees Usry's ordeal as a cautionary tale. Manchester man sentenced to life Although Michelle was killed, her fighting spirit was a key to solving her case 40 years after the crime. (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. But he also said his private investigator had uncovered new evidence that wasn't discovered until June. GUILTY - IA - Michelle Martinko, 18, stabbed to During the trial, he initially denied knowing Martinko but his statements were found to contradict when his defense argued that evidence had been mishandled back in 1979 and that different articles of clothing from the crime scene should not have been stored together in one evidence bag. They're upset about somehow that they are going to be roped into an investigation, they would feel unfairly, or that their privacy would somehow be violated, right? In one of those profiles, authorities said there were fewer than one in 100 billion unrelated individuals who would have had the same profile. Burns' sentence also included that he wouldn't be eligible for parole. 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 was arrested and questioned when his DNA matched that of some found on Martinko's clothes at the time of her murder. 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. Curious to see if the suspect in the 1979 Michelle Martinko murder looks anything like this DNA composite. Burns said 'somebody else stabbed Martinko that night. All Rights Reserved. Her father died in 1995 and her mother died in 1998. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. Investigators matched the male profile at the crime scene to DNA on a straw Burns left behind at a Manchester Pizza Ranch. In 2018, familial DNA identified a suspect named Jerry Lynn Burns, and the case was finally laid to rest with the accused getting sentenced to life in prison without parole. Police said they were able to connect Burns to the case with DNA evidence. All Rights Reserved. But after authorities in California used GEDmatch to catch the Golden State Killer, Rogers began to slowly welcome police into the database. Judge Hoover, who had reviewed Spies' written arguments and Maybanks' resistance before the hearing, quickly denied the motion for a new trial. 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. On the night of December 19th, 1979 someone killed 18-year-old Michelle Martinko inside her car in the parking lot at the new Westdale, The Mystery of Michelle Martinko: The Story Behind the Facebook Page. Martin stops in Dubuque, Refurbished bells return to Univ. Years after Michael Usry Jr. was cleared, further genetic genealogy helped authorities identify the man they believe is Angie Dodge's real killer. Offender Information It was a case, Cedar Genetic genealogy can help solve cold cases. In October 2006, DNA information that was retrieved from the crime scene was sent to the Combined DNA Index System, CODIS. 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' DNA profile was developed from blood on Martinko's black dress. pic.twitter.com/COPUDpaDMP, Cedar Rapids Police (@CR_Police) December 20, 2018. His trial was most recently set to begin Oct. 14, but was delayed afterBurns' defense team requested additionaltime to review new evidence and witnesses. Thank you. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm William Brangham. Usry was targeted because investigators, using an early form of genetic genealogy, linked his father's DNA to DNA from the murder scene. DNA Collected Without Warrant Challenged in 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. I am very appreciative of the work of our investigators and their persistence with this case, including the use of the latest technology that can aid in the investigation regardless of how long ago the violent act occurred., READ NEXT: Michigan School Teachers Admit to Being Porn Stars on the Side, Jerry Lynn Burns: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. An obituary for Burns wife, Patricia, says that she died in June 2008 at the age of 55. She can be contacted at aspoerre@dmreg.com, 515-284-8387or on Twitter at@annaspoerre. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. He waited for her at the mall and apprehended her in the parking lot, according to the theory. Police arrested Jerry Lynn Burns, 64, in the decades-old fatal stabbing. There is someone here who either knows more than they are willing to admit or knows something that they dont realize is important. Jerry Lynn Burns is accused of the 1979 cold case murder of Michelle Martinko in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Please logout and login again. Investigators used the blood samples to develop a partial male DNA profile. Please check your inbox to confirm. 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 was a brutal, violent, horrendous crime," Linn County Assistant Attorney Mike Harris said at the time. Burns, who was convicted in February of killing Michelle Martinko in 1979, was sentenced to life in prison. He Felt Like He Had Won Who Is Jerry Lynn Burns? He was arrested 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. Jerry LynnBurns, 65, is set to face a jury in February, bringing momentum to a case that was left cold for years. Five years ago, Michael Usry Jr., largely because his father had done DNA testing, ended up in a police station in downtown New Orleans. 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. Police questioned Burns at work in Manchester, Iowa where he denied killing Martinko. This week in 1979 someone killed Michelle Martinko at Westdale Mall. He was ensnared because his father had. This is the moment of reckoning for him and the moment, long awaited, of resting peace for Michelle..